The UAE has led a major international operation against environmental crimes in the Amazon Basin, resulting in 94 arrests and the seizure of assets valued at more than $64 million.
The 14-day effort, Operation Green Shield, was a multinational investigation co-ordinated by the Emirates with Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, said authorities in the Amazon dismantled criminal networks accused of destroying protected ecosystems and shut down 350 criminal operations.
The arrests were carried out under the UAE's Law Enforcement for Climate programme, which was launched at Cop28 in Dubai in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Climate leader
It comes as part of the Emirates’ wider push on climate action.
In May, the UAE issued its climate law to establish a legal framework for climate resilience and greenhouse gas emissions accountability.
And in June, leading figures gathered in the UAE to sound the alarm ahead of the next major round of UN climate talks at Cop30, in Brazil, set to take place in November.
Majid Al Suwaidi, chief of climate investment vehicle Alterra, warned that the talks are up against “significant challenges”.
“To date, only 15 updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have been submitted,” Mr Al Suwaidi said.
While the original deadline was February, a revised cutoff in September is now the last window to submit updated pledges before Cop30 opens in Belem, Brazil, in November. Both Brazil and the UAE laid out robust NDCs ahead of the initial February deadline.
History made
At Cop28 in Dubai, held in November and December 2023, the historic UAE Consensus was agreed.
The agreement calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner … so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science”.
President Sheikh Mohamed said the conference provided “significant results” and vowed to push ahead in search of a “more sustainable future for our planet”.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also hailed the success of the conference.
“The conference has set new standards in climate action and solidified the UAE's position as a key player in building a sustainable future for the planet,” he said.
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President, said it was a “historic agreement” but was only as good as its “implementation”.
“We are what we do, not what we say,” he said. “We must take the steps necessary to turn this agreement into tangible action.”
