Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the accidental policy issue of Enterprise Climate. Today, we look at changing emission targets as well as energy policy recommendations from around the region, starting with:

THE BIG CLIMATE STORY- The UAE has decided to upgrade its end-of-decade emissions targets in response to calls from last year’s COP summit for countries to get more ambitious with their climate goals.

This comes as the UAE is also getting props for its policies promoting EVs. Management consultancy Arthur D. Little chose the Emirates as the sole Middle East listing in its EV readiness index.

^^ We have more on both stories in the news well, below.

PSA- The Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) is now offering green transition loans to businesses. Companies that want to partially or entirely transition towards renewable energy sources may be eligible for facilities with faster approvals, “competitive” interest rates and flexible terms, the bank said. “The facility is also provided to companies working on implementing cooling strategies, waste-to-energy conversion, sustainable green buildings, and environmentally friendly practices,” it noted.

HAPPENING TODAY-

It’s world green building week. Some 70 councils are holding events globally from 12-16 September, with the aim of making the building sector a part of the solution towards net zero carbon. You can find the agenda here.

The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies will host a seminar on “early warning systems for natural disasters” today via Zoom. The virtual gathering aims to address Africa’s need for an integrated early warning system for natural disasters. You can register for the event here.

Also today: The two-day South Sudan oil and power conference is scheduled to take place in Juba, South Sudan. Check out the event’s website here to register as a speaker, attendee or a sponsor.

Iran’s International Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Exhibition enters its second day in Tehran. The event aims to showcase the latest technologies in renewable energy innovation and will run through Thursday.

WORTH READING- Droughts around the world are stifling the growth of hydroelectric power as a renewable energy source, the Wall Street Journal writes. Given the ongoing droughts in Europe, China and the US, electricity generated by hydropower is drying up, causing a global thirst for energy that remains unquenched. Hydropower plants that move river streams into rotating shafts to generate electricity produced less energy this year due to shallow water levels, the newswire notes. Similarly, hydropower plants that store water in reservoirs for later use are affected by scant rainfall and surging evaporation levels caused by heat, WSJ notes.

The droughts are “causing a rethink of how [hydropower] fits into a resilient energy system,” energy executives, analysts and government planners told the newspaper. One of the unintended consequences of hydro’s bad summer is an increase of coal use to make up for demand, analysts say.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia is hosting its Towards COP27: Arab regional forum on climate finance on 15 September in Beirut. The forum will explore the climate finance needs of Arab countries to ensure water, energy and food security, while showcasing projects that can accelerate climate action.

The European Union’s Delegation to Egypt will host Euro-Egyptian energy day on Friday, 16 September at the Fish Garden in Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt. Speakers will include EU delegation to Egypt chief Christian Berger, as well as a number of Egyptian ministers. Alongside workshops, there will be activities for kids, including how to build a solar-powered car, a windmill and a watermill using Lego bricks.

The Wetex and Dubai solar show will run 27-29 September at the Dubai World Trade Center.

Dubai will host the World Green Economy Summit on 28-29 September. The summit wants to provide a platform to build consensus around the potential of technologies, policies and youth that could drive the green economy transformation.

Check out our full calendar on the web for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.