ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 24th Jan, 2021) Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), hosted by Masdar, concluded on Thursday with a resounding global commitment to deliver a green recovery in 2021.
From January 18th to 21st, ADSW took place in a reimagined virtual setting and attracted more than 100,000 views across its online platforms from 175 countries, reiterating its importance as the annual global sustainability event that sets the agenda for the year.
The week welcomed several commercial announcements relating to the adoption and development of hydrogen in the UAE.
Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and ADQ announced the signing of an MoU to establish the Abu Dhabi Hydrogen Alliance (the Alliance), with the view to establish Abu Dhabi as a trusted leader of low-carbon green and blue hydrogen in emerging international markets.
Building on the Alliance, Masdar announced it would join forces with Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Group, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Siemens Energy, and Marubeni Corporation, in an initiative designed to support the development of the green hydrogen economy in Abu Dhabi. The initiative aims to establish a demonstrator plant at Masdar City.
Building on the 2020 Abraham Accords, Masdar also signed a strategic agreement with French group EDF Renewables to explore renewable energy opportunities in Israel and support the country’s clean-energy objectives. Israel is targeting 30 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources by 2030, up from a previous target of 17 percent, as it looks to phase out coal use. Achieving the new target will require an additional 15 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity being developed over the period.
Masdar also released during ADSW its 2020 Annual Sustainability Report, which revealed it had more than doubled its clean energy capacity in the last two years, generating enough electricity to power over four million homes.
For over a decade, Abu Dhabi has provided a sustainable platform for the global community that has grown through its initiatives and events to emerge as a thought leader and catalyst that accelerates sustainable development around the world.
ADSW comprised high-level virtual events: ADSW Summit, which took place in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; IRENA’s 11th Assembly; Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum; Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum; Youth 4 Sustainability Virtual Forum; and World Future Energy Summit Back to business Webinar Series.
The ADSW speaker programme featured more than 500 global leaders and decision-makers from policy, industry and technology, including: Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Chairman of Masdar; Charles, The Prince of Wales; Prince Albert II of Monaco, Head of State, Principality of Monaco; António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company; Alok Sharma MP, COP26 President; Laurence Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock; Bernard Looney, CEO of BP; Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the board and CEO of Bank of America; and Mark Carney, Finance Adviser to the UK Prime Minister for COP 26 and UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance.
ADSW 2021 also featured The Global Innovation Award, which is organised on behalf of the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, named Cambrian Innovation from the US the overall winner of Award.
