Our insights

At our first forum in February 2025, we looked toward the next 25 years to 2050, the year by which the world must reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. At our Ideas to Impact forum we took a leap forward, a deep dive into key climate priority areas and the impact we can have together. The in-depth conversations and insights pointed to a clear common goal: meaningful climate action across sectors, driving innovation, engaging communities, and effecting policy change. As we forge ahead in our mission to advance climate and sustainability solutions, the need for measurable climate policy and collaboration has never been more pronounced. In 2024, average global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. We need to be clear, this is the crossing of a critical threshold, a breaking point. But 2025 can be the year that we turn it around.

This report explores the role of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) in advancing climate resilience across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Developed through data analysis and a closed-door roundtable, it highlights how regional SWFs are shifting portfolios towards clean energy, with investments reaching nearly $2.5 billion in 2022. Led by ADIA, Mubadala, PIF, and QIA, these funds are diversifying into renewables, hydrogen, and storage while signalling a broader move toward emerging climate technologies. Stakeholders emphasised both opportunities and challenges, from gaps in adaptation finance for sectors like water and biodiversity to the need for innovative blended finance models that can de-risk investments and crowd in private capital. The report sets out a forward-looking agenda for SWFs to expand beyond mitigation into resilience and adaptation, aligning fiduciary responsibility with long-term regional climate security and positioning the MENA region as a leader in climate finance.

This report outlines the findings of a closed-door roundtable convened during Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) Week, bringing together senior representatives from government, industry, academia, and finance to examine how Abu Dhabi can catalyse a national piloting programme for climate-deep tech. Developed in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the Global Climate Finance Centre, UICCA, Hub71, and PwC Middle East, the report identifies the infrastructure, capital, and regulatory gaps that currently limit the scale-up of hardware-intensive climate technologies critical to the UAE’s future economy, including energy storage, green construction materials, and low-carbon industrial processes. Stakeholders reached consensus on the urgency of creating real-world testing environments, aligning regulatory pathways, and de-risking capital-intensive innovation. The report sets out a three-pillar action framework—enabling piloting infrastructure, mobilising tailored financing, and strengthening governance—to guide collective action and investment. It provides a strategic foundation for stakeholders to collaborate on bridging the deployment gap, ensuring that the UAE remains at the forefront of global climate innovation while advancing its Net Zero by 2050 commitments.

As the global community intensifies efforts to combat climate change, COP29 marked a significant step forward in shaping the future of international carbon markets. At the heart of these discussions was Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, a cornerstone for enabling international cooperation on emissions reduction and unlocking climate finance. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), with its growing commitment to sustainability and carbon market development, stands to both contribute to and benefit from these changes. The UAE Carbon Alliance and the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Center for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South Asia (SA) collaborated on this article to highlight key COP29 outcomes and their implications for both the global and regional carbon market landscape.

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), held from January 12 to 18 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and with related events throughout the Emirate, highlighted the UAE’s leadership in sustainability and provided a dynamic platform for global stakeholders to unite, innovate, and take decisive action towards a more sustainable future. ADSW served as an important catalyst for collaboration among industry, civil society, and government and momentum on climate action following COP29, setting the stage for impactful solutions in the year ahead.

Climate Call brought together global youth to create impactful solutions addressing urgent climate challenges in energy, food security, and water scarcity.