Abu Dhabi meeting raises energy and climate ambition in advance of Habitat III Conference

Massive deployment of low-carbon energy in the world’s cities is now both vital and economic, a high-level United Nations (UN) meeting concluded today at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Hosted by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Habitat III Secretariat, the meeting sets the agenda for October’s United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (known as Habitat III), the third in a series of UN summits held only once every 20 years on sustainable urbanization. The thematic meeting in Abu Dhabi recommended a number of policy, technology, and financing commitments in the format of a final declaration, covering energy sectors like electricity generation, building and appliance codes, transport, heating and cooling, and wasteto-energy.