Conference of Parties (COP)- A common and urgent mission to mitigate climate change
World leaders will be gathering in the UAE from 30 November -12 December 2023 on a common and urgent mission to curb climate change striving to prevent it from further escalating into a climate emergency Signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - an international environmental treaty addressing climate change, will convene to discuss the climate crisis on a global level. UN Climate Change Conference is the official name for climate Conferences of the Parties (COP). In addition to decision makers including world leaders and politicians; experts and other relevant groups are expected to share experience, insights, offer recommendations and action plans towards achieving the important objective to keep global warming below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels - as per the Paris Agreement which was decided at COP21.
COP28, Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 30 November – December 2023
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been endorsed / accorded the honour to host COP28 in 2023 in EXPO City, Dubai from 30 November – 12 December 2023. Under the directive of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court, had appointed Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, a member of the UAE Federal Cabinet, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and the UAE’s special envoy for climate change, as President-Designate for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) (Fig 1) Shamma Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Razan Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), will join Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber’s COP28 UAE team as the Youth Climate Champion and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion, respectively.
Fig 1: Under the directive of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court, had appointed Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber as President COP28.
The UAE- Host of COP28 -Walking the Talk
The hosting of COP28 by the UAE comes at a crucial moment when the nation was recently in November 2023 granted the operating licence for its fourth and final nuclear reactor at its Barakah Nuclear Power Plant from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR). The licence, with a duration of 60 years, authorizes Nawah to commission and operate the unit.
In February 2020, March 2021, and June 2022, FANR issued the operating licenses' for Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3 respectively, with the license for fourth plant granted, it marked a historic moment for the UAE, where it realizes its vision that started 15 years ago in developing the-first-in-the-region peaceful nuclear energy programme." (Fig 2)
Fig 2: UAE’s Barakah Nuclear Power Plant with 4 Units of Nuclear Reactor
His Excellency Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE’s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and deputy chairman of the Board of Management of the FANR had announced that the UAE Nuclear Programme will play a key role in providing 25 per cent of clean energy; hence, supporting the UAE Government's efforts to achieve its 2050 Net Zero Goals. Thus this testifies that the UAE as Host of COP28 is walking the talk on addressing climate change.
COP28 President meets and holds discussions with key stakeholders
In recognition that a varied and large number of stakeholders are key in contributing to the success of COP28, in terms of planning, execution, implementation and financing of key action plans Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has visited and conducted meetings and discussions with world leaders, industry, financial institutions and others. (Fig 3 and Fig 4)
President COP28 called on key stakeholders to disrupt business as usual
Gulf Today had reported that Dr Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and COP28 President-Designate has called on governments, industry, and all stakeholders to “disrupt business as usual” and take decisive action to tackle the climate crisis it the world’s pursuit to achieve game-changing results
Massive global investments to reduce emissions and boost resilience are required
Green Future had reported that massive global investments to reduce emissions and boost resilience are required—and that a major shift is needed to harness public and, especially, private financing, with the urgency for both the public and private sectors to finance all components of the energy transition, including both the scaling of clean energy and the managed phaseout of fossil fuels on an accelerated time frame.
Amongst key prescription for success included the use innovative financing instruments to scale up private investment in emerging and developing economies.
Trillions of dollars needed to meet climate target
Gulf today spotlighted that President COP28, Dr Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber had drawn attention to the urgent need to mobilise trillions, not billions, of dollars if the world is to reach our climate, biodiversity and SDG targets
And thus in tandem with this Dr Sultan had made a visit to the UK to advance innovative climate finance to deliver climate action and a just energy transition and participated in high-level discussions on climate finance with US President Joe Biden and H.M King Charles III, alongside leading investors and philanthropists (Fig 3)
Fig 3: Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber President COP28 participates in a meeting with Joe Biden, King Charles III and John Kerry in London.
Khaleejtimes had reported that during a virtual meeting, attended by presidents of nine of the world’s biggest development banks ( Fig 4) including the World Bank, and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) President COP28 had called on multilateral development banks (MDBs) to show “more ambition” and work faster to address climate finance and development challenges.
Fig 4: Virtual meeting, attended by presidents of nine of the world’s biggest development banks, and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Role of Nuclear Power in Climate Change
Nuclear energy as part of an urgent and key solution to mitigate the devastating Impacts of Climate Change has gained traction amongst world leaders. The following events is testimony of this development which is expected to culminate at COP28 with Nuclear Power inevitable role’s sealed and a Landmark Climate Deal announced
78th Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly -8 November 2023
Testimony of this include the International Atomic Energy’s (IAEA’s) Director General, His Excellency Mr Rafael Grossi's Statement to the 78th Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 8 November 2023 (Fig 5) highlighting that presently more than 400 nuclear power reactors operating in more than 30 countries supply over 10% of the world’s electricity, and more than a quarter of all low-carbon electricity. Without nuclear power, global CO2 emissions would be considerably higher. As a case in point, the IAEA reports that nuclear power has avoided around 70 Gt CO2 in the last five decades, avoids more than 1 Gt CO2 every year in the current decade and is still globally the second source of low carbon power behind hydropower.
Fig 5: Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), presents the annual report of the IAEA to the UN General Assembly.
Additionally, more than 50 reactors are currently under construction and many countries already operating nuclear power programmes are extending them.
COP26 Glasgow, United Kingdom
The UK’s Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) had reported that even after the wrap up the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) , headlines continue to highlight nuclear energy as central to tackling the climate crisis.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report in August stating that global warming is happening quicker than previously thought, making COP more important than ever.
The NEI further elaborated that Decarbonization is critical, and nuclear, which provides more than a quarter of the world’s clean power, is central to the clean energy transition. The bipartisan momentum around nuclear’s role in combatting climate change was evident at COP. Nuclear energy will play an important role in decarbonizing the energy sector in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, France and China, as well as countries transitioning away from coal like Romania and developing countries such as Ghana.
Throughout the two weeks, many voices chimed in on the benefits of nuclear, such as International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol: "Nuclear power generation needs to double if we are to reach our energy and climate goals.”
COP26 in Glasgow had solidified that nuclear holds an integral and unmistakable role in the world’s decarbonization goals.
It is thus in the spirit of cooperation that nations at COP sought to find ways they can work together to reduce emissions globally and Commitments to expand nuclear power both at home and abroad was an important outcome of COP26.
COP27- Discussions on Nuclear Power
The IAEA reported that its Agency's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi had led a panel of officials from around the world in an in-depth discussion on nuclear power at COP27 today, amid rising global optimism about its potential to help achieve net zero emissions.
Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), set the tone for the event by declaring at its outset: “Nuclear power is making comeback—and in a strong fashion.”
However, Dr Birol said the international financial community had so far “failed” to provide the level playing field needed for nuclear to help the world tackle its most pressing challenges, from climate change to sustainable development. “I don’t give them a passing grade.”
Countries that were saying goodbye to nuclear power, they are rethinking their plans, In addition, another group of countries is now considering extending the lifetime of their existing nuclear power reactors to respond to this challenge, which is one of the cheapest forms of low carbon power, Dr Birol said. Still another group of countries are rolling out plans to build new reactors,
According to the IEA, nuclear power capacity needs to double by 2050 if net zero goals are to be achieved. To live up to its potential, the nuclear industry must do better to deliver its projects on time and on budget.
COP27, Egypt-2022: Launch of Atoms4NetZero
Launched by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at COP27 in 2022, Atoms4NetZero was showcased at a side event during the 67th IAEA General Conference in Vienna that featured speakers from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
The IAEA’s Atoms4NetZero provides decision makers with comprehensive, data-driven energy scenario modelling that also includes the full potential of nuclear power in contributing to net zero emissions.
“Atoms4NetZero supports countries towards our goal, which is harnessing the power of nuclear energy to achieve net zero carbon emissions and energy security,”
Modelling scenarios incorporate real constraints countries face as they seek to build energy systems to meet their net zero objectives, according to Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary, Office of Nuclear Energy at the US Department of Energy. Constraints may come in the form of a lack of electricity transmission lines or the power system’s inability to match hour to hour supply and demand. Policy makers need modelling scenarios to accurately determine the type, quantity, scale, location and types of energy sources. “Decisions at the policy level absolutely have to be data informed,” Huff said.
Atoms4NetZero will also help assess the potential contribution of advanced nuclear reactors, including small modular reactors (SMRs), to long term national energy strategies. This includes nuclear energy to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors beyond electricity such as industry and transportation, which make up almost 60 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative will develop credible scenarios by using IAEA analytical tools such as MESSAGE, or Model for Energy Supply System Alternatives.
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