News

Adaptation to Climate Change in the UAE Environment Sector: Capacity Building and Stakeholder Consultation Workshop

On July 16-17, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) held a two-day workshop on capacity building and stakeholder consultation on risk assessment and climate change adaptation focusing on the environment sector. The workshop aimed to share the preliminary risk assessment results with stakeholders and gain insights on their understanding and readiness on climate change adaptation. Stakeholders from the public, private, and civil society sectors participated in the event. Resource persons from the UAE University and the Center for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) in the United Kingdom were also invited. The outcomes of the workshop are:

  • Enhanced knowledge about the linkages of climate change and the environment sector in the UAE context.
  • Improved understanding about the UAE’s state of adaptation efforts in the environment sector.
  • Consolidated feedback from the stakeholders regarding the results of the risk assessment.
  • Enriched discussion on potential adaptation measures and ways to plan concrete initiatives and roadmaps.

The workshop forms part of the National Climate Change Adaptation Program launched in 2017 to implement the National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050. The program focuses on four sectors that are economically important but highly vulnerable to climate change: health, energy, infrastructure, and the environment. More sectors will be covered in the long term.

The first day of the workshop focused on climate trends in the UAE, ecological impacts of climate change in hot regions, and identifying climate risks to the UAE’s natural environment. The following day focused on interactive discussions about the risk assessment results and potential adaptation measures. The findings and recommendations from the stakeholder engagement will be very helpful in developing an integrated action plan later this year.

Click here and here to read more.