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The German embassy in the UAE hosted its second edition of the Climate Talks titled “Road to COP28: Energy Transition in Germany and the UAE − Opportunities for Cooperation†at Khalifa University in the capital. Germany’s foreign missions are organising Climate Talks in different regions, bringing together stakeholders and important voices across different sectors, to raise awareness for the urgency of global climate action and to discuss promising solutions, according to a press release issued by the German embassy.
The embassy had hosted the first high-level Climate Talk in February 2023 during the visit of the German Special Envoy for International Climate Action, State Secretary Jennifer Morgan.
“The year 2023 is going to be decisive for climate action. This year’s Conference of the Parties (COP28, the UN Climate Conference) hosted by the UAE will be the first COP mandated to undertake a global stocktake on climate action. In this way, the conference will play a central role in guiding humanity towards a pathway consistent with the 1.5-degree target set out in the Paris Agreement,†the press release pointed out.
Alexander Schönfelder, the German ambassador to the UAE; Dr Abdulla Malek, Head of Energy Transition at COP28 Team; Dr Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice President for Research and Development and Professor of Practice at Khalifa University of Science
and Technology; and Andreas Bieringer, Director of Business Development & Commercial at Masdar, took part in a stage talk at the event. They discussed the role of Germany and the UAE in climate action, energy transition and the upcoming COP28, with around 80 guests from the business community, the diplomatic corps, university students and students at the German International School Abu Dhabi and the Emirates National School. The panellists agreed on the importance of speeding up climate action. Ambassador Schönfelder emphasised that both the UAE and Germany are forerunners in renewable energy sector.
The Climate Talk was followed by the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition titled “Energy in Transition — Powering Tomorrow†at Khalifa University’s Student Hub.
The exhibition highlights the multi-layered aspects, challenges, and potentials of the global energy transition from the perspectives of society, politics, business and science.
The exhibition consisting of five accessible cubes explains that the energy transition is not a short-term project but based on the long-term and innovative commitment, and cooperation of all local, national, and international actors.
Previous locations of the travelling exhibition were Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Tunisia, Ireland, Poland, Thailand, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, and many other countries.
The exhibition can be visited until the end of August 2023 at Khalifa University, Student Hub, during the university’s opening hours.