Abu Dhabi: The UAE will continue its leading efforts in ensuring energy security through a diverse energy mix that includes renewable and clean sources of energy besides hydrocarbons.
This was stated by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on the occasion of the official opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), one of the world’s foremost sustainability events currently being held in Abu Dhabi.
Shaikh Mohammad said that the world’s youth will ensure a sustainable future.
Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Minster of State, Chairman of Masdar, gives his opening speech at ADSW. (Photo: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News)
“This year, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is focusing on youth, reflecting the confidence in their role to maintain the momentum of the march towards sustainable development,” Shaikh Mohammad said as he attended the ceremony along with senior Shaikhs and officials at a packed auditorium at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), which drew thousands of participants from across the world.
Welcoming the leaders and experts who arrived in the UAE for ADSW, Shaikh Mohammad said that the summit represents a step forward in a constructive discussion that bolsters avenues of cooperation, which will in turn help in drawing up practical and effective plans and strategies that utilise recent innovations.
Shaikh Mohammad emphasised that President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan always issues directives to consolidate the principles and foundations of sustainable development for future generations, which complements the vision of the founding father Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Shaikh Mohammad said that the UAE will continue its leading efforts in ensuring energy security by pursuing a diverse energy mix that includes clean and renewable sources of energy besides hydrocarbons. He added that the UAE will continue to support strategic platforms such as the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and the International Water Summit [IWS] that bring together relevant bodies to look into ways to enhance water and food security.
Present during the inauguration were Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Shaikh Mohammad Bin Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah, and other Shaikhs and senior officials.
Welcoming the gathering, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, minister of state, highlighted the role of youth in ensuring a green future. “It is their energy, imagination and drive that will ensure we remain on track toward sustainability, in a fast evolving world, where the pace of innovation is faster than at any time in human history,” he said.
“And no one is more suited, more willing and more able to stay ahead of the curve than our positive young people, who are represented here today by over 400 sustainability pioneers from more than 70 countries around the world,” Al Jaber said.
He said 2007 had been a pivotal year, which marked a tipping point wherein technological change moved from gradual to exponential.
It was the year the iPhone was launched, putting the power of the internet, and network computing, in the palm of our hands.
In that year alone, Facebook jumped from 20 million to 100 million users, beginning the revolution of how we interact with friends and family, news and events, Al Jaber said.
And, most importantly, cloud computing unlocked the limits of data storage.
Yet, at precisely the same time as this digital revolution was unfolding, a shift of equal importance was taking place in the physical world.
This was the year the world’s population tipped from majority rural to majority urban, representing the largest mass migration in our history, putting greater stress on essential resources, he said.
The UAE has been at the forefront of developing a sustainable economy and now utilising all the latest tools including artificial intelligence for this purpose, he said.
The ADSW, which began with the eighth assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) on Saturday, started hosting other major events from Monday including World Future Energy Summit (WFES), the 6th International Water Summit and the 5th EcoWASTE exhibition and conference. More than 30,000 visitors including investors, innovators, experts and policymakers from approximately 175 countries are expected to attend the series of events during the week.
