Another major step by UAE towards clean energy

The news is very much heart-warming. It is  a landmark move towards clean energy and a clean atmosphere, so necessary to keep climate change in check. Abu Dhabi Airports and Masdar have announced the completion of Abu Dhabi’s largest solar-powered car park, which will save a whopping 5,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

The three-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) project is installed on the car shading at the short-term car park of the Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport, with 7,542 solar panels producing electricity. The energy generated by the grid-connected project will be used to power the car parking facility, with excess energy fed to other sections of the airport.

Masdar’s Energy Services department provided a full turnkey solution for the project, including financing, design, procurement and construction. Under the terms of the lease agreement, Masdar will also provide operation and maintenance services for a 25-year period.

The delivery of this landmark project for the new Midfield Terminal highlights the commitment of Masdar and Abu Dhabi Airports to supporting the UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050 and its climate change mitigation goals. Even Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has endorsed a long-term plan to have zero emissions from public transport in the emirate by 2050.

Climate change is a serious issue, and can have critical implications. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world what it is like to go through a dangerous emergency of the kind that could occur if climate change accelerates.

Tackling climate change is all the more important as over one-third of the world’s heat deaths each year are due directly to global warming, according to the latest study to calculate the human cost of climate change.

But scientists say that’s only a sliver of climate’s overall toll – even more people die from other extreme weather conditions amplified by global warming such as storms, flooding and drought – and the heat death numbers will grow exponentially with rising temperatures.

About 35 per cent of heat deaths in the United States can be blamed on climate change, the study found.  In this respect, President Joe Biden directed federal agencies to assess and mitigate the increasing and serious risks that climate change poses to individuals, businesses, the federal government and the US financial system.

Biden issued an executive order requiring development of a comprehensive government-wide climate-risk strategy within 120 days, and an annual assessment of climate-related fiscal risks as part of the US budget.

The problem is the plight of the developing countries, who suffer a lot due to climate change. Half of the world’s climate change financing should go to helping poorer nations adapt to the effects of global warming, such as drought, rising seas and floods, the UN said.

Recently, The World Bank on Friday announced a new Climate Change Action Plan aimed at helping developing countries achieve measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and pledging to mobilise large-scale resources to aid the transition out of coal.

Last year was one of the warmest on record.

The 2015 Paris Agreement aims to curb warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably 1.5˚C, this century. Under the pact, governments also agreed to implement adaptation measures such as flood defences, greener homes and drought-resilient crops, with financial aid for poorer nations. Thanks to global warming, nearly all of the world’s glaciers are losing mass – and at an accelerated pace.

Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister for Industry and Advanced Technology, and Special Envoy for Climate Change, highlighted how the UAE’s commitment to progressive climate action can lead to greater economic opportunity.

The UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050 aims to increase the percentage of clean energy in the country’s energy mix to 50 per cent.

The fact that the UAE has a Minister, and a Council, even a Special Envoy for Climate Change shows how serious it is about curbing the effects of this global issue.