Climate concerns must be prioritized but not at the cost of economic growth, said Sultan Al Jaber, the COP28 President-Designate and Special Envoy for Climate Change and CEO of ADNOC, at the graduation ceremony at Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI). 

“Remember, progress is driven by curiosity, constructive dialogue, connectivity, hard work, patience — and impatience. So, get out there and be impatient and impactful for the betterment of humanity,” he told the first batch of MBZUAI graduates.

He highlighted the risk of the planet heating faster but holding back global rise in temperatures without slowing economic growth.

“We must drive an inclusive energy transition that leaves no one behind, especially in the Global South. We need to make our planet wealthier and healthier at the same time,” said Dr. Al Jaber. 

He told the first graduating class of MBZUAI, 52 students and a third of whom are women, that they hold some of the keys to the “transformational breakthroughs” that the world needs today.  

He added COP28 would be the first to officially include a Youth Climate Champion, with the appointment of Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth.