The UAE pledges to triple the production of renewable energy within 7 years

The United Arab Emirates announced that it intends, during the next seven years, to triple its production of renewable energy, as part of the environmental initiatives it unveiled on Monday, months before it hosts the United Nations Climate Conference “COP 28”.

The UAE, one of the largest exporters of crude oil, also unveiled a national hydrogen strategy and a subsidy policy for electric cars.

Few details were revealed about the new strategy, which was announced 5 months before the “COP 28” talks, which will be hosted by Dubai and will be attended by about 200 countries, and will deal with how to address global warming and its effects, according to Agence France-Presse.

The UAE Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said after chairing a government meeting that it had been decided to “triple the contribution of renewable energy over the next seven years.”

He added in a statement that up to 200 billion dirhams ($54 billion) would be invested during the same period to meet the growing demand for electricity.

Sheikh Mohammed also announced a hydrogen strategy aimed at “establishing the country’s position as a producer and exporter of low-emission hydrogen over the next eight years” by developing supply chains and infrastructure and establishing a research and development center.

The UAE, which has a population of nearly 10 million people, the majority of whom are foreigners, will build a national network of electric vehicle charging stations within the framework of the “National Policy for Electric Vehicles”.

The statement added that the China-based Wayride company will receive the first national license for self-driving cars in the UAE.

The UAE’s hosting of the Conference of the Parties in November and December has been criticized by climate activists who question whether it is appropriate to grant one of the world’s largest oil producers such a major role in organizing efforts to combat global warming.

The UAE says oil remains an irreplaceable pillar of the global economy and is promoting the use of carbon capture technology.

And in 2021, ahead of the COP26 conference in Glasgow, the UAE said it aimed to achieve net zero domestic carbon emissions by 2050 — a target that excludes pollution from exported oil.