Chicago: The United States' special presidential envoy for climate change, John Kerry, stated on Friday that there are still environmental threats related to climate change and the oceans, but he praised the UN's efforts to address them as well as the support it is getting from Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

In order to address environmental issues, the UN has held an annual Climate Change Conference, also known as COP (short for Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). 

Four of these conferences have been held in the Arab world: COP7 and COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2001 and 2016, COP 18 in Doha, Qatar, in 2012, and COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Also Read: The "heist of the century" has prompted arrest warrants from Iraq

Kerry made the announcement while praising the significant assistance the UN has received from oil-producing countries in the Gulf region, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This year's COP 28 will take place from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai.

The first regional conference on climate change and fossil fuel issues was held by the UAE last year, and 11 countries from the region attended, he said.

We had a joint statement that came out of it that was very strong and forward-looking about the need to keep (global temperature increases within) 1.5 degrees (Celsius of pre-industrial levels), about the need to reduce emissions, and about doing what we need to by 2030 because if you don't do enough by 2030 you can't get there,"

Also Read:  10 are detained in Spain for attempting to rob Ukrainian refugees

"The UAE has deployed a significant amount of renewable energy on their own. In recognition of the need to reduce emissions, they are focusing a sizable portion of their current efforts on carbon capture, sequestration, and utilisation as well as research and development of renewable energy sources.

Kerry continued, "I am aware that Saudi Arabia is planning to build a sizable solar farm that will generate green hydrogen. Bahrain, Kuwait, and other countries are all determining their exact destinations.

The envoy warned that more needs to be done and painted a bleak picture of what the environment might face if climate goals are not met. He claimed that the involvement of the Middle Eastern countries that produce oil greatly aids the efforts.

According to Kerry, many nations "don't respect" the effects they are having on climate change. He added that if you look at history, civilizations have vanished as a result of the fact that the world is not living sustainably.

"The fundamentals of our interaction with nature are crucial... Our planet has lost half of its species, and we are not moving in the right direction. We require a treaty, he continued.

The "real possibility" that we have already passed a number of "tipping points" in the fight against climate change is strongly supported by compelling evidence: 

The permafrost is thawing, resulting in massive amounts of methane gas production; the Barents Sea ice is melting as the planet warms; coral reefs are dying as a result of rising pollution and warming; and temperatures are rising significantly in the Arctic and Antarctic.

According to Kerry, the rate of melting is so dangerous that the Greenland ice sheet might vanish, which would result in a 7-meter rise in sea levels, a change in the main currents, and a significant alteration of weather patterns.

He continued, "We need to carefully heed the science, but we can win this battle. Under the Our Ocean Conference initiative, countries have made more than 1,800 commitments, valued at more than $100 billion.

Also Read:  India applauds Saudi Arabia's support as it attends the G20 summit in New Delhi 

The US Department of State introduced it in 2014 in an effort to raise awareness of the grave threats facing the oceans and to persuade nations to commit to taking concrete steps in favour of marine conservation and sustainable development. 

Climate change, sustainable fishing, blue economies, and maritime security are among the topics it focuses on.

Kerry stated the following when discussing the value of the Arab World's participation in the debates surrounding climate change and the environment: "

One of the virtues, conceivably, is the question of whether having a country that is knowledgeable about oil and gas, that has clout in that community, and that is committed to doing these things I have just described helps us. In my opinion, it has a lot of potential to be very significant.

He added: "We have been, over the years, changing the chemistry of the ocean more than it has been changed in millions of years. Emissions from fossil fuels that fall into the ocean in rainfall and raise the acidity levels of the waters. That is a conclusion reached scientifically by oceanographers, marine biologists, and others.

Kerry announced that he will attend the 41st CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas, the following week, where he will meet representatives from the Middle East, including Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, the UAE's special envoy for climate change, and Haitham Al-Ghais, the secretary general of OPEC.