$4 billion UAE-US initiative to enhance climate-smart agriculture

A new initiative led by the UAE and the United States has announced US$4 billion of increased investment to accelerate innovation for climate-smart agriculture and food systems over the next five years.

The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) has the support of over 30 governments and the UAE has pledged US$1 billion as part of the initiative.

Launched as part of the World Leaders’ Summit at COP26, the initiative aims to increase and accelerate agricultural and food systems innovation in support of climate action.

AIM for Climate is focused on leveraging high-potential economic returns and job creation from innovation investment in a sector that employs over 2 billion people and feeds the world’s growing population.

Nearly 25 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture.

"This initiative demonstrates the UAE’s holistic and inclusive approach to climate action, which characterises our offer to host COP28," said Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change and Minister of Industry & Advanced Technology.

"The United Arab Emirates has already driven change in the energy sector through green innovation and growth, investing over US$17 billion in clean energy around the world," he added.

AIM for Climate’s diverse list of supporters includes over 30 countries from six continents including the recent addition of Azerbaijan, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as numerous other non-governmental agencies.

The initiative seeks to enable ambitious investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation to help create a surge of solutions, enabling the world to meet nutritional needs, increase agricultural productivity, improve livelihoods, conserve nature and biodiversity, build resilience to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sequester carbon.