His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi was appointed the Minister of Climate Change and Environment for the United Arab Emirates in February 2016. In this role, he oversees the Ministry’s mission to spearhead the UAE’s drive to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change and protect the country’s unique ecosystems through developing and implementing effective measures, policies and initiatives. In addition to his ministerial responsibilities.

Previously, he served as Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA and Director of the Department of Energy and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Earlier, as Project Engineer at Masdar, His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi worked to advance renewable energy technologies and solutions. During this time, he also played an instrumental role in the UAE’s successful 2009 bid to host IRENA, the first international organization dedicated to renewable energy. He started his career as Reservoir Engineer at the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO).

He heads the UAE Council for Climate Change and Environment, the National Committee of Biosecurity, and the Emirates Committee for Sustainable Environment Research. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and the Trustees of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, the jury and Selection Committees of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, and the Board of Directors of the Global Green Growth Institute. In addition, His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi is Honorable Advisor at the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation.

His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi holds a PhD in Project and Program Management from SKEMA Business School in France, an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology in the US, an MSc in Project Management from the British University in Dubai and a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa in the US. In 2015, His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi received the first Gulf Cooperation Council Excellence Award in recognition of his pioneering efforts in renewable energy.

A quote on the subject:

“In line with its commitment to driving environmental action, the UAE is leading the global shift to renewables. We are helping to shape a low-carbon future for everyone with current and planned investments in projects with a combined renewable energy capacity of 12 GW across 25 countries. In the UAE alone, we increased our renewable energy capacity from a mere 10 MW in 2009 to 1,800 MW today.”