15 CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT
ADVOCATING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS AT COP26 Several KAUST faculty members attended COP26 in Glasgow to share their expertise on the impacts of climate change and available solutions
MINISTRY OF ENERGY “The contributions of institutions like KAUST are vital to the success of our national efforts to address climate change. Through scientific expertise, thought leadership and commitment to innovation, KAUST accelerates research and dialogue, while
In November 2021, several KAUST faculty members participated in the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, the preeminent global meeting to advance action on climate change. Across two weeks, KAUST faculty joined scientists, policymakers, activists and leaders from around the world in a series of panel events, informal discussions and presentations. Their presence helped bring attention to the impacts of climate change on the natural environment and its related economic consequences. The conference also provided an opportunity to showcase the university’s groundbreaking research in climate change mitigation and offer KAUST’s thought leadership in the search for climate solutions. With 2021 marking its 26th iteration, the COP summit serves as a major international effort to catalyze action on climate change and address one of the most existential threats of our time. In total, more than 39,000 participants from around the world attended COP26. The conference included myriad side events in national pavilions. These offered a space for countries and organizations to host events, showcase research and expertise, and engage with other COP attendees. KAUST faculty participated in events run by the Saudi Ministry of Energy, the International Coral Reef Society and Aeon Collective, a leading Saudi-based sustainable development group. These focused on a range of themes including climate adaptation, protecting and restoring coral, transitioning to net-zero emissions, hydrogen energy, solar technology, the circular carbon economy (CCE) and clean combustion. Michael Berumen, director of the KAUST Red Sea Research Center, and Raquel Peixoto, associate professor of marine science, helped underscore the importance of saving the world’s coral by limiting the
producing effective and viable solutions. KAUST will remain a key national partner as we look to the future and begin applying the takeaways of COP26 to our ambitious national climate action agenda.” Khalid Abuleif, Saudi Arabia’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Agreements and Senior Sustainability Advisor to HRH the Minister of Energy
global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. KAUST Distinguished Professor of Marine Science Carlos Duarte drew attention to mangrove and seagrass restoration projects as important carbon sinks that offer nature-based solutions to climate change. Rod A. Wing, director of the KAUST Center for Desert Agriculture, and Ibrahim Hoteit, professor of earth science and engineering, were joined by KAUST PhD candidate Natalia Odnoletkova to present on the impacts of climate change on Saudi Arabia’s natural environment and the adaptation measures required. Stefaan De Wolf, principal investigator of the KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory, shared insights on highly efficient next-generation solar cell technology, while Cafer Yavuz, professor of chemical science, showed his catalyst development for dry reforming – a reaction that could result in gigaton-scale carbon utilization without changing fuel infrastructure, and jumpstart the CCE. Ana Margarida
