By Abdel Salam Fayez
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AA) – Presidents of the European Commission and the United Arab Emirates met on Thursday to discuss the ongoing preparations for the upcoming UN climate summit in the Gulf nation.
According to the Emirati official news agency WAM, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed stressed the international cooperation to address the climate crisis, achieve key sustainability targets, and foster economic prosperity.
They discussed the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), in which world leaders and environmental advocates will gather in Dubai from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 to help protect the planet’s future.
COP28 will be held amid extreme climate conditions affecting every corner of the world.
Bin Zayed and von der Leyen reviewed “various aspects of cooperation between the UAE and the EU and explored opportunities for further collaboration,” the report added.
On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a "climate breakdown," as the UN weather agency said that the summer of 2023 was the hottest ever recorded.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi