Dubai, UAE, 25 October 2018: With France leading the talks on climate change at the heels of the second One Planet Summit, H.E. Ludovic Pouille, Ambassador of France to the UAE, emphasised that French companies’ growing presence in the Middle East is proof that investing in bringing environmentally friendly solutions to the market is not merely ethical, it also makes economic sense. “France is one of the rare countries in the world to have understood that for many years now,” Pouille stressed. “COP21 and the Treaty of Paris, we are the symbol of that. Because many companies were part of this march on climate change, they have understood that the innovations of today, and the price they pay in R&D, will bring benefits tomorrow.”

French companies’ early adoption of the cause has helped them establish strong roots in the United Arab Emirates, which has echoed similar interests, in view of the emirates’ respective environmental initiatives. “I’m quite confident that even here in the United Arab Emirates they have understood that,” Pouille said. “They have high ambitions on solar energy, wind energy, on all kind of renewables. In Masdar, in Abu Dhabi, the only green city of the Middle East, and here, in Dubai, they have many projects to bring smart energy and clean energy to the city. I’m quite confident that all these, at the end, will bring economic benefit.”

Pouille also highlighted the importance of accountability on the issue of fossil fuels, stressing that the responsibility to secure the future lies on every individual. “We have to think about the end of fossil energy – oil, coal and so on,” he said. “What will the world be 50 years from now? We have to change our habits. All citizens – not only the big companies but everybody. When the companies bring solutions to the hand of the citizens, it’s much easier for those companies to get the benefits, because they have taken some advancements.” Pouille said that encouraging manufacturers to innovate and develop further will pave the way for solutions to be cheaper, making it even more accessible. “You can see that solar energy is cheaper today than 10 years before, and it will go in the coming years in the same direction,” he said. “I’m confident that the economic calculation behind all those research on clean energy and renewable energy is really something profitable.”

Hannah Jo Uy is Assistant Editor at Climate Control Middle East magazine. She may be contacted at hannah@cpi-industry.com