Local Press: UAE Spearheads Awareness On Climate Change

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 14th Oct, 2021) A UAE newspaper has said that the move by the Arab Youth Council for Climate Change (AYCCC) to increase the knowledge and skills of Arab youth in global climate action is praiseworthy, to say the least. It inked a pact with Posterity Institute, a UK-based think tank specialising in sustainable development and climate change, to this effect.

"Its impact is more relevant considering the fact that it comes close on the heels of the announcement of the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative," said Gulf Today in an editorial on Thursday.

As Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Vice President of the Arab Youth Centre (AYC), said, "Organisations across the nation play an imperative role in educating young people about climate action and promoting the exchange of youth experience and best practices in building a better future for the next generations."

The scale of environmental disasters, such as the California wildfires and hurricane-induced flooding in Louisiana and New York, shows that climate change is "everybody’s crisis."

Environmental issues need more support and attention from Arab youth. This is particularly important when the UAE is bidding to host the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) for the first time in the Arab region in 2023. That the UAE should be conducting the event should be taken note of, particularly in light of the fact that there is virtually no pollution here.

The air here is very clean.

Over the past years, the UAE has become an international centre for countries wishing to discuss climate change and environmental issues, as it continues to host a wide variety of leading international conferences, exhibitions and meetings that deal with topics related to a global issue that is expected to significantly impact our future.

"President Joe Biden and Democrats are pursuing a sweeping $3.5 trillion Federal overhaul that includes landmark measures to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in what would be the most consequential environmental policies ever enacted, after years of fits and starts," noted the daily, adding that France wants to be a leader in green hydrogen by 2030 and build new, smaller nuclear reactors as part of a 30-billion-euro ($35 billion) investment plan aimed at fostering industrial champions and innovation.

But are the world leaders doing enough to stem the pernicious influence of climate change? Over 200 protesters gathered in Parliament Square in London recently demanding government action over the climate crisis.

The Sharjah-based daily added, "Environmental politics should not be treated as separate from other political concerns. The poorest in the world and in society are very likely to be affected the most by the consequences of climate change.