The UAE has reaffirmed its commitment to the global thrust on action against climate change, after two weeks of talks in Marrakech, where nearly 200 nations reaffirmed their support for the Paris Agreement.

"Turning the Paris Climate Agreement into real initiatives requires enormous efforts and collaboration at the local, regional and international levels," said Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs who had led the UAE's delegation at the COP22 summit in Morocco

Sheikh Mansour has highlighted that the governments have the responsibility to involve all players so they could work together on the environment. "We are confident that such platforms will offer a strong impetus to global efforts to minimize the impacts of climate change," he said. He said all countries have to reduce their greenhouse emissions to avoid the world warming by 3 degrees Centi or more.

To allay fears expressed on Mr Trump's past threats to scrap US international involvement in climate-change treaties, Dr Al Zeyoudi said "The world is going to move with the States or without the States, business people, governments, that are talking about action."

"At the COP 22, where countries started to fulfill their pledges under the Paris Agreement, we need to chart a course of action that enables us to reach creative solutions to prevent climate change and allow companies, civil society organisations and universities and research centres to engage in this effort,"

said His Excellency  Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment for the United Arab Emirates 

Sheikh Mansour also invited the COP22 delegates to Abu Dhabi Climate Action Day and the World Government Summit, to be held in Dubai next February, which will focus on climate and its effect on food scarcity.

Most of the negotiations at COP22 did not result in substantive decisions, but an agreement to continue work. This disappointed many environmentalists but a few achievements that were made outside of the formal negotiations include:

Marrakech Action Proclamation, whereby many government leaders re-affirmed their commitment to 'full implementation' of the Paris Agreement.

First long-term strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Paris Agreement by:

Canada and the U.S., aiming to reduce emissions by 80% below 2005 levels by 2050 Mexico, aiming to reduce emissions by half below 2000 levels by 2050 and Germany, aiming to achieve extensive greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050

announcement of emissions reductions targets by 200 companies, including Walmart, Coca Cola, Mars, General Mills, Kellogg, and Sony, as part of the Science Based Targets initiative and commitment by the World Bank and others to double financing for climate action in the Middle East and North Africa to US$1.5 billion per year.