The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has renewed its commitment to a responsible supply of oil and gas to the world. UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan said at the opening of Egypt's Conference of the Parties (COP) on Monday that the kingdom would continue to provide fossil fuel for as long as the world needs it and do it responsibly by reducing its carbon impact to the environment.

"The UAE is considered a responsible supplier of energy and it will continue playing this role for as long as the world is in need of oil and gas," he said. "Oil and gas in the UAE are among the least carbon-intensive around the world and we will continue to focus on lowering carbon emissions emanating from this sector."

UAE is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is one of the leading oil and gas producers in the world. In recent years, the kingdom has explored renewable energy schemes but has remained focused on providing fossil fuel with reduced carbon.

Zayhed al-Nahyan said the UAE was among the first Gulf nations to lay out its plan for carbon neutrality by 2050. He also announced that the country inked a $100-billion deal with the United States last month to augment the supply of global renewable energy by 100 gigawatts by 2035.

Attended by more than 90 heads of state and representatives from 190 countries worldwide, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly known as Egypt's COP or COP27, is being held this year from Nov. 6 to 18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The conference has been held every year since the first U.N. climate agreement in 1992, and involves talks and meetings aimed to curb climate change resulting from the use of fossil fuels.

At the start of the conference Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a pact between the richest and poorest nations in the world to expedite the transition from fossil fuels to reduce carbon emissions and cope with the negative impacts of climate change.

"Greenhouse gas emissions keep growing. Global temperatures keep rising. And our planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible," he warned.

Next year's COP28 will take place at the Dubai Expo City and will be hosted by the UAE.

In his file photo taken on August 31, 2020, the Emirati, Israeli and US flags fly at the Abu Dhabi airport at the arrival of the first-ever commercial flight from Israel to the UAE
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