• New Climate Commitment: UAE will announce its climate plan before the February 2025 deadline, becoming one of the first major emitters to do so.
• Encouraging Global Action: UAE’s updated NDC aims to inspire other nations to submit stronger climate targets.
• Focus on Growth: New NDCs are seen as opportunities for green growth, not just emissions cuts.

UAE’s Climate Ambition

The United Arab Emirates plans to release its new national climate plan under the Paris Agreement ahead of the COP29 climate summit in November, setting a precedent for other countries to follow.

Sultan Al Jaber, president of last year’s COP28 summit, announced that the UAE will submit its updated “nationally determined contribution (NDC)” to the United Nations. The new NDC will outline how the oil-producing nation aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from 2025 to 2035.

“We should view NDCs not as a burden but as platforms for new streams of growth, green jobs, and a clean future,” Al Jaber stated at a UN General Assembly meeting, which included the presidents of Dubai’s COP28, upcoming COP29 in Baku, and next year’s COP in Belem.

Why It Matters

NDCs are central to the Paris Agreement, encouraging nations to set ambitious emission-reduction goals to achieve net-zero by 2050 and limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. The Paris Agreement requires countries to submit stronger NDCs every five years.

Related Article: UAE’s Clean Energy Investments Exceed $12 Billion, Aiming for 32% Renewable Mix by 2030

The Bigger Picture

This new round of NDCs will be the first test of last year’s COP28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. Previous NDCs by major oil, gas, and coal producers failed to address phasing down fossil fuel output, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Advocacy group Oil Change International noted that past, current, and future COP hosts are projected to increase their combined oil and gas production by 33% by 2035, highlighting the challenges ahead in meeting global climate targets.