A week before COP26, the Glasgow summit on climate change, Bahrain has become the latest Gulf state to announce a plan aiming for net zero carbon emissions by the year 2060. The Kingdom’s announcement, in line with the 2015 Paris agreement, follows similar pledges by the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The United Nations’ weather agency on Monday warned that greenhouse gas concentrations “hit a record last year” and the world is “way off track” on climate goals, according to a Reuters report.
Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation said in the report that carbon dioxide levels “surged to 413.2 parts per million in 2020, rising more than the average rate over the last decade despite a temporary dip in emissions during Covid-19 lockdowns.”
The spike in the carbon dioxide levels mean that the planet’s temperature will rise much higher than the 1.5 degrees Celsius maximum target set by the Paris Agreement.
“We need to revisit our industrial, energy and transport systems and whole way of life,” Taalas said, calling for “dramatic increase” in pledges to help reduce global warming at the upcoming COP26 conference.
Humanity’s last chance
The city of Glasgow, Scotland, will host dozens of leaders and heads of governments and senior official beginning Sunday in what many say is probably humanity’s last chance to get a consensus on tangible steps to avert climate disaster.
The Gulf States have been in the forefront of the battle to slow global warming despite the economic impact. Last week, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai announced the country’s plan that aims for a net zero emissions by the year 2050, seizing “the opportunity to bolster our leadership on climate change within our region and take this key economic opportunity to drive development, growth and new jobs.”
The Vice-President said the UAE will invest more than Dh600 billion ($165 billion) in clean energy by that year.
The strategic initiative, the first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), is part of the nation’s ‘the Principles of the 50’, the national roadmap for accelerating economic development to mark the golden jubilee year. Most importantly, the plan supports the principles of the Paris Agreement.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said the kingdom aims to reach net zero emissions by 2060.
The announcements by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain represent a serious effort by the Gulf countries that are considered major oil producers, thereby setting an example for others to follow when it comes to the collective global attempts to save our planet.
The declarations also give a major boost to the Glasgow summit, which few weeks ago looked doomed for failure. Hopefully other countries, especially the rich ones, will announce similar commitments.
The world is in this together.
