Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated during a summit in the UAE that the Gulf nation and the United Kingdom can continue to lead in green technology because of the “enormous potential” for the two nations to collaborate after the UAE hosted the “tough COP” in 2023, surprising sceptics and convincing the world to move away from fossil fuels.
Boris Johnson stated during his keynote speech at Masdar’s Green Hydrogen Summit in Abu Dhabi that while his nation had hosted COP26 in 2021, hosting COP28 in Dubai later in 2023 had proven to be more difficult.
“There was a difference between COP26 and COP28,” Boris Johnson noted.
The Glasgow United Nations Summit took place before Russia’s war with Ukraine, the spike in hydrocarbon costs, and the general lack of confidence in Net Zero.
“And with all due respect to all of you here in Abu Dhabi, I must say that while we completed the soft COP, you completed the tough COP, if you understand what I mean,” the former British Prime Minister stated.
“But you were victorious. The UAE Presidency overcame negative coverage in some international media outlets that were pessimistic about the outcomes of the COP28. You also fared better than the expectations of non-governmental organisations, and by using your persuasive technological arguments, you convinced people to abandon fossil fuels here in the world’s largest and richest hydrocarbon basin,” he added further.
With its close ties to the United Arab Emirates, Boris Johnson, who was London’s mayor from 2008 to 2016 and prime minister from 2019 to 2022, claimed that during his tenure, the city had earned the moniker “eighth emirate.”
He claimed that during that period, the two nations had entered a new golden age of cooperation.
He went on to say that the United Kingdom had been able to reconsider and shift its perspective on power generation as a result of the UAE’s utilisation of solar farms and other renewable energy projects. He specifically mentioned Emirati involvement in Masdar through the London Array wind farm off the Essex coast.
One of the biggest planned offshore wind farms in the world, Dogger Bank South by Masdar, is presently undergoing the UK planning procedure, he said.
Boris Johnson further suggested that surplus energy from the farm may be utilised to contribute to the production of green hydrogen, which could eventually be used to power aircraft engines.
But to proceed, he continued, it was critical to get past reservations and scepticism regarding hydrogen as a power source.
“These things require political leadership, patience, and unwavering innovation. And that innovation necessitates ever closer collaboration between nations like the UK and the UAE, ranging from batteries to artificial intelligence,” he declared.