As the UAE adapts to its harsh desert environment, climate change poses significant threats on the country’s economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social well-being. The UAE and the Gulf region are expected to experience increasing temperature and humidity levels, more intense rainfall, rising sea levels, and increased frequency and intensity of extreme events. 

In collaboration with GGGI, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) developed the National Climate Change Plan 2050 in 2017, an enabling policy framework that facilitates the transition toward a climate-resilient green economy, while managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, minimizing climate risks, and supporting economic diversification efforts.  

To implement the Plan, the National Climate Change Adaptation Program was launched with the aim to make the UAE one of the most climate-resilient countries in the world. This program focuses on risk assessment and adaptation analysis in four key sectors: health, energy, infrastructure, and environment, which are considered critical areas in ensuring climate resilience in the UAE. Following the identification and prioritization of climate risks, a range of adaptation measures will be analyzed and prioritized. The adaptation action plans include information on the specific actions and the corresponding lead actors, supporting actors, timeline, M&E metrics as well as the indicative costs and impacts. This is expected to facilitate the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and resilience in sectoral development strategies in the long term. 

The project objectives are thus to i.) identify climate trends, assess impacts, and prioritize climate risks that demand urgent action and ii.) involve all stakeholder groups in developing sectoral adaptation action plans and its implementation.  

This project aligns with IO1. Strengthened national, sub-national and local green growth planning, financing and institutional frameworks. 

Impact:  Enhanced long-term national resilience to the impacts of climate change. 

Outcome: Climate change adaptation mainstreamed in key sectors in the UAE 

Project Outputs completed in 2019:  

i. Green Growth Policies:

Policy Assignments (2): 

• Sectoral climate change adaptation action plan snapshots developed for 4 key sectors (health, energy, infrastructure, environment). 
• Adaptation assessment reports developed covering 4 key sectors  

Policies Adopted: 

• Total of 2 policy documents adopted: Health and Climate Change Country Profile 2019 for the United Arab Emirates and UAE National Framework for Action on Climate Change and Health 2019-2021.

ii. Green Investments:N/A

iii. Capacity Building and Knowledge Products: 

• Total of 2 knowledge products in the form of two draft articles on adaptation to be submitted to academic/policy journals; also additional 2 independent reviews of the first Marine Climate Change Impacts Evidence Report for the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME).