The inspiring theme of Expo 2020 Dubai, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” is a true embodiment of the need for profound international agreement to counter the current serious global crises, most importantly climate change, especially as the whole world is racing against time to try to avert an irreversible disastrous climate failure.
In recent years, many countries and communities across the world have suffered from the aggravating impact of climate change, accelerated by waves of drought, floods, tornadoes, intensifying natural disasters and the continuing sea level rise. The concerns prompted international climate organizations, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, in particular, to sound the alarm and urge for the need to reduce carbon emissions that cause global warming.
This would consequently give humanity a chance to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, which was adopted in 2015, to address climate change and its negative impacts and to limit global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Expo 2020 and Climate Change
Expo 2020 Dubai coincides with what some describe as the biggest challenge facing humanity in the 170 years since the first Expo was launched in London. It also comes amid accelerating international efforts to address the issue. More than 130 nations, including the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and the European Union, announced plans to achieve carbon neutrality, or zero emissions by the middle of this century.
Moreover, the mega fair opened only weeks ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, between 31 October and 12 November 2021. Many consider the summit meeting as a critical gathering in the face of climate change, where humanity has to make a choice: taking quick action to save planet Earth or foot-dragging and losing it.
At Expo 2020 Dubai, the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies will be showcased over the six months period. Additionally, the event will see serious discussions about how to counter climate change and achieve the goals of Paris Agreement, as well as the relationship between carbon neutrality and energy transition. The event is set to highlight all aspects of, and technological solutions to climate change to 25 million people from across the world. For these reasons, Expo 2020 Dubai offers an ideal opportunity to create global carbon-neutrality that is the ideal solution to address the challenge of climate change.
To encourage new ideas and chart a roadmap to carbon neutrality, Expo 2020 Dubai organized the Climate and Biodiversity Week between October 3-October 9 which, it said, was aimed at providing a powerful platform for people’s voices to be heard in climate policy circles. Events and discussions during the week focused on mitigating climate change, disaster risk management, protecting vulnerable regions and wildlife conservation.
According to the management of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Climate and Biodiversity Week is the first of the 10 theme weeks anchoring the Programme for People and Planet, an extraordinary schedule of events, experiences, thought-leadership and public conversations running throughout Expo 2020’s six months, aiming to find solutions for some of the most pressing problems facing our world. Critical topics include ways of bolstering environmental diplomacy, using innovation to protect biodiversity, helping humanity repair the relationship with nature, opportunities offered by environmental climate solutions and technological innovations, as well as ways of expanding women’s role in addressing climate change.
The theme of the first week unfolds with a series of initiatives on the historic Italian lagoon city of Venice, which was nominated to be the world sustainability capital. The city was showcased as an international model in the fight against climate change, as well as in promoting environmental, cultural and social innovations. In the area dedicated to sustainability at Expo 2020, visitors are presented with state -of-art technologies that can help in simulating a future where people live in harmony with nature in a future built on the foundations of modern technologies.
The Crown Jewel
Expo 2020 Dubai can be described as the crown jewel of the UAE’s achievements in fighting climate change, investing in clean energy, bolstering food security and sustainability, accelerating innovation in sustainable agriculture to meet demand for food for the world’s growing population while at the same time minimizing the negative impact on the environment. In the years leading up to Expo 2020 Dubai, the UAE has already established itself as an ideal destination for international high-profile events focused on climate action, sustainable development.
The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is among such top events. For more than a decade, the event has been mobilizing regional and international support for sustainable development.
The UAE also hosts the annual meeting of IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, which sets the global agenda for promoting renewable and clean energy solutions. The country also played host to the preparatory meetings for the UN climate summits in 2014 and 2019, as well as the UAE Regional Dialogue for Climate Action in April this year. On May 23, the UAE offered to host the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) in Abu Dhabi in 2023.
Among its latest efforts to create a carbon-neutral world, the Expo 2020 Dubai inaugurated the Green Hydrogen project. The innovative project marks a new achievement for the country as a leader in renewable and clean energy, and shows its determination to consolidate its stature as a model for development based on innovation and the employment of the latest and most efficient technologies.
A Platform for Exchanging Thoughts on Climate
Expo 2020 Dubai is set to offer an ideal opportunity for building a carbon-neutral world and open wide avenues for creativity to address climate challenges. To achieve this, the fair will showcase innovations aimed at promoting sustainability. This wide area encompasses work on sustaining our planet to continue to be ideal for life and building a cleaner, safer and healthier future for the planet, a mission that is closely related to the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN in 2015.
Overall, many observers see Expo 2020 Dubai as an innovative platform for orchestrating international efforts being made to address the economic and social impact of climate change, and also as an ideal opportunity for governments, institutions, companies and individuals to share their thoughts and turn them into quick executive measures. For these reasons, Expo 2020 Dubai is likely to become the fair that will set the best pathways towards life sustainability on planet Earth.
