S01 WFES Dailies 2016 - Day 2_Layout 1 18/01/2016 17:00 Page 1
Hosted by
DAILY NEWS
DAY 2 19 JAN 2016
ADSW gets off to a flying start
H.E. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General giving a keynote address at the opening ceremony.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2016 kicked off with a powerful and high-profile opening ceremony, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (ADNEC) on 18 January 2016. The event took place in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Referring to the historic COP21 agreement concluded in Paris last month, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar, commented in his opening address: “Never before has the political will to address climate change and
achieve sustainable development been so resolute … and never before have market forces aligned so closely with political choices. In fact, the economic case for everyone concerned has now become an undeniable opportunity ... all energy sources, both traditional and new, must work hand-in-hand.” H.E. Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico, said: “One of the biggest challenges facing humanity is to have enough clean energy to meet future demand for energy. All nations of the world are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and we therefore all have a duty to assume a global responsibility.” H.E. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, commented in a keynote speech that the Paris Agreement was a triumph for “people, the planet and multilateralism”. The government, private sector and international organisations must now come together to implement it, he said, citing the UAE and Masdar as an example of the public/private action needed.
CONTENTS News from the first day of WFES 2016
3
Developments in the MENA solar sector
10
The future of nuclear energy around the globe
14
An overview of the South African renewables sector
16
Innovations in sustainable transport at WFES
26
Project news from leading exhibitors
28
Switzerland and China’s WFES pavilions
29
Gallery: Highlights from Day One
42