Second Annual Climate Change Research Network Conference details
The second yearly Climate Change Research Network (CCRN) conference has been inaugurated by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment . As the two-day conference, held on the 25th and 26th of May at New York University Abu Dhabi , highlights the UAE's intention to tackle climate change and sustainable growth, as well as creating a collaborative environment for scholars, researchers, and non-state actors to work together and strategize on many of the urgent climate change issues that will control COP28 in the UAE later this year.
Climate Change Research Network Conference
The second annual CCRN is held in conjunction with the UAE's Year of Sustainability and as part of the country's plans to host the 28th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28). It contributes to the UAE's expanded duty towards the global sustainable development agenda and climate action. These actions, taken together, highlight the country's unwavering efforts to establish a sustainable and resilient environment for its people, as well as its willingness to take part in international attempts to reduce the effects of climate change.
Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), Mariet Westermann, Vice Chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi, and representatives from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), UNFCCC, and the Global Centre on Adaptation were among those in attendance. Representatives from the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre (KAPSARC) were also present at the conference.
"As we work together to make a sustainable impact, events such as the UAE Climate Change Research Network Conference highlight the value of participation, action, and education," Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan said during the event.
More importantly, it highlights the amazing potential of the human spirit in taking our own passions and specialties and directing those efforts towards a common goal. These efforts are nothing short of magnificent, and they serve as a declaration of the pledges and duties that those present today have made towards a more sustainable future".
UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment
The UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, highlighted the importance of the conference in encouraging a collaborative environment and the importance of science and innovation in fighting the current danger of climate change in her recorded keynote address to the attendees.
The main mission of the Climate Change Research Network is to drive research and innovation in climate science," Almheiri stated. Our scientists and scholars are doing incredible work that is making a substantial contribution to global climate action. We are committed to closing the knowledge gap, encouraging cooperation, and making developments in science available to policymakers and communities."
Topics discussed at the CCRN conference were:
- climate analysis and modelling.
- climate change and infrastructure.
- climate change and terrestrial and marine
- freshwater ecosystems.
- climate change and human health.
- climate change, and food and water protection.
The establishment of two new CCRN sections, the Youth Division and the Advisory Committee, was a significant milestone. The Youth Division provides a forum for youth to participate in and support climate research initiatives across the spectrum, whereas the Advisory Committee provides a more thorough professional viewpoint on the climate efforts being examined as part of the adaptive exercises. These initiatives seek to widen the breadth of research, motivate younger generations to take part in climate change solutions, and enable policy formation based on cutting-edge scientific findings.
The conference also provided a chance to reflect on the UAE's climate action achievements, such as becoming the first Middle Eastern country to join the Paris Agreement and fulfilling its Nationally Determined Contributions and Adaptation (NDCA).
As part of this commitment, the UAE has set aggressive targets for lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, from 23.5 percent to 31 percent under business-as-usual conditions. These efforts demonstrate the country's commitment to reducing global warming and ensuring an equitable future for its people and the earth.
Aside from its commitment to developing a strong academic and research community in the UAE, the MOCCAE is preparing to exhibit its work on climate change and sustainable growth around the world. The UAE will host COP28 later this year, and the gathering is scheduled to bring together 80,000 participants from around the world, including 140 heads of state and government, to strategize and work on the way to a sustainable future.
"As we seek to host the international community at COP28 in Expo City Dubai later this year, our primary goal remains triggering global climate action and ensuring COP for All, leaving no one behind," Almheiri added. Our goal is to demonstrate how far we've come in addressing the effects of climate change through the full value chain, from agricultural systems to renewable energy and biodiversity.
Furthermore, we hope to galvanise additional global action because no country can address climate change alone. It is a shared obligation that connects us together as individuals and members of global society."
