On April 18, His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the incoming president of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates, and UAE Climate Change Special Envoy, along with His Excellency Adnan Amin, CEO of COP28, visited the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Tsinghua University and attended the 32nd Climate Change Global Lecture.

This lecture was co-hosted by the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development (ICCSD) and the Institute for Carbon Neutrality (ICON) at Tsinghua University. The lecture was chaired by Li Zheng, Chief Scientist of the Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality Strategy Research Center at the ICON and Dean of the ICCSD. Over 300 faculty and students attended the lecture both online and offline.

In his welcome speech, He Kebin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Dean of the ICON, stated that the UAE has played a positive role in global climate governance and expressed hope to share experiences and strengthen cooperation with the UAE to contribute to addressing climate change and achieving sustainable development goals. He emphasized that this lecture exemplifies the spirit of international cooperation and cross-border communication, which will facilitate dialogue between Chinese youth and the international community, enabling them to play a greater role in addressing global challenges.

Following this, Al Jaber delivered a speech titled “The Role of Youth in Shaping Climate Action.” He first elaborated on the urgency of transforming global carbon reduction pathways. He stated that to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, we must reduce carbon emissions by 43% in the next seven years while also meeting the growing global energy demand. This requires changing the status quo, correcting pathways, establishing global partnerships, and formulating comprehensive action plans. He praised China’s deployment in renewable energy and introduced the UAE’s renewable energy development and cooperation with Chinese enterprises.

Al Jaber also provided an update on the preparations for COP28. He mentioned that COP28 will be the first to assess the progress of the Paris Agreement goals and plan a future blueprint. COP28 will be a conference that makes an impact, takes action, and promotes unity, and it will be the first COP conference to include all partners. He welcomed the participation of youth, including Tsinghua University faculty and students, in COP28, encouraging them to be creative and contribute to the conference.

Al Jaber’s speech received enthusiastic responses from faculty and students both online and offline. After the speech, attendees actively asked questions. In response to a question comparing the two technological pathways of CCS and hydrogen energy in industrial decarbonization, Al Jaber stated that all high-efficiency technologies should be adopted, promoted, and commercialized. In establishing a low-carbon economy, the UAE has promoted hydrogen development and adopted CCUS technology to capture and store carbon dioxide from the oil and gas industry. He believes that all relevant technologies should be included in the decarbonization roadmap to help achieve net-zero emission targets.

Next, His Excellency Adnan Amin, CEO of COP28, engaged in a dialogue with representatives from the Secretariat and Global Youth Ambassadors at the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate, and the Secretariat at the Asian Universities Alliance to discuss the role of youth in the global climate progress from COP27 to COP28.

When asked about expectations for the “energy transition” theme of COP28, Amin stated that the UAE has taken pragmatic actions in energy transition over the past few years, investing heavily in renewable energy projects and deploying CCUS and other advanced technologies. He hopes to use this opportunity to showcase the UAE’s leadership in energy transition to the world. He expressed a desire to make significant contributions to decarbonization and renewable energy deployment in the future.