UAE, France ink decarbonization agreement: The UAE and France have agreed to launch a program to increase green investments and focus on the decarbonization of hard to abate (HTA) industries, Wam reports. The agreement came during French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire’s meeting with the UAE’s Industry and Advanced Technology Minister and COP28 President-Designate for COP28 Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber in the UAE. The program will officially launch at COP28 next November.

REMINDER- HTA industries are industries where carbon emissions are inherently difficult to lower — either due to the cost it incurs on businesses or because of insufficient technology to do so — and account for roughly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Examples of HTA industries include cement and steel production, shipping, and aviation.

How they’ll do it: The program aims to develop commercially viable avenues to accelerate clean energy development with a focus on HTA industries, especially in the sectors of green hydrogen and sustainable fuel. The program will leverage industrial expertise and the financing capacities of the public and private sectors in both countries.