Latest: Enough rumours, cloud seeding had nothing to do with UAE's three-day rain storm

Extreme rainfall that caused chaos across the UAE at the weekend was linked to climate change, the country’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment said.

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi said extreme weather events had become increasingly common across the world because of global warming and that he believed the sustained storms that battered the Emirates may well be the latest example.

“The UAE has been affected badly by climate change, through various means,” he said at the International Renewable Energy Agency assembly in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Dr Al Zeyoudi cited recent bushfires in Australia and the increased frequency of cyclones as examples of extreme weather events attributed to climate change.

Asked whether he thought the recent UAE storms were another example, he replied: “Absolutely”.

“Yesterday, everyone was saying this was real climate change – we haven’t seen such high rain for a very long time. So we do see the weather is changing, the climate is changing.”

Preliminary figures suggest 150mm of rain fell each hour, for two-and-a-half hours, at the peak of the downpours, Dubai Media Office said.

During a typical January in the Emirates, about 10mm of rain falls on average, meaning more than 30 times as much rain fell within three hours than usually falls in a month.

The UAE has been affected badly by climate change, through various means Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment

The heavy rain caused widespread flooding, leading to chaos on roads, damaging homes and forcing schools to close.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Al Zeyoudi reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment in playing a major role in tackling the global climate emergency.

He said he was confident the country would hit an ambitious target to generate half of its energy from clean sources by 2050, despite admitting the goal had met scepticism in some quarters.

He said activists such as Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old Swedish campaigner, had helped mobilise young people to fight climate change but that current leaders must address the issue now.

“We have seen in the last year through the strong campaign which Greta and many other activists in mobilising the youth, as a testimony that the youth are engaged,” he said.

“Climate change is not any more something that the future generations are going to see the consequences of.

“We have started to see the impact of climate change through the various extreme weather events – the latest one was in Australia with the fires, and the cyclones, the storms, the rainfall, the drought. It is not something that we are going to pass for the future generations to find a solution for.”

Other ways in which the UAE is already been affected by climate change included dwindling natural water resources, he said. The problem is linked to food security, with the UAE importing up to 90 per cent of its food.

Dr Al Zeyoudi said the country was committed to investing in new technology to ensure more food could be grown in the UAE, and that the use of cloud seeding also helped.

A municipal worker drains flood waters close to Ibn Battuta and Discovery Gardens on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National Signs were blown down across the city. Ruel Pableo for The National A driver tries to drain water from his car near Ibn Battuta mall. Ruel Pableo for The National An abandoned car sits in flood water near the low-lying Discovery Gardens, one of the worst-hit areas. Ruel Pableo for The National Drivers were caught out by sudden downpours for a third day in a row on Sunday, with many getting stuck. Ruel Pableo for The National Motorists appear to have abandoned their vehicles in this image from Ibn Battuta. Ruel Pableo for The National A rainbow appears among the clouds in Abu Dhabi. Talib Jariwala / The National Cloudy weather once again around the Corniche area in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari for The National High winds caused damage to many buildings, including this one in Abu Dhabi's Tourist Club area. Khushnum Bhandari for The National Dark clouds over the skyline of Dubai with Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. AFP The sign for Last Exit food truck park in Jebel Ali was torn by high winds. Ruel Pableo for The National So was this advert for Nakheel properties on Sheikh Zayed Road. Ruel Pableo for The National Torn billboards flutter in high winds on Sheikh Zayed Road on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National The low-lying Jebel Ali area is particularly badly hit. Ruel Pableo for The National Flooding at a car park by lorries and buses in Jebel Ali on Sunday morning. Ruel Pableo for The National Municipality workers use a pump at a waterlogged road in Internet City on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National Roads around Internet City were waterlogged after a fresh downpour about 7.30am on Sunday. Ruel Pableo Commuters head to work through Discovery Gardens. Ruel Pableo for The National A municipality worker clearing debris in Discovery Gardens. Ruel Pableo foir The National Rain clouds loom over the road to Abu Dhabi at 7am on Sunday morning. Commuters were hit with patches of driving rain from about 8am. Suhail Rather / The National Municipal workers attempt to clear a flooded tunnel in Sharjah on Sunday morning. Courtesy: Sharjah Municipality The National Center for Search and Rescue said the first rescue mission took place on Saturday morning when they received a report about two men being trapped due to flash floods in Wadi Ghashabah. A helicopter was immediately dispatched to the site where the two men, of Sudanese nationality, were found clinging to a tree about 50 meters away from the Wadi banks. The rescue team managed to airlift the men and take them to safety. Courtesy NSRC Flooding on Al Ishoush St, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National Flooding on Al Ishoush St, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National Overcast skies over Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National Commuters battle high water along the Al Manara and Beach road intersection. Antonie Robertson / The National Heavy rains in Dubai during the night caused extensive flooding at intersections within the city. Antonie Robertson / The National Commuters battle high water along the Al Manara and Beach road intersection. Antonie Robertson / The National Water is logged outside the Movenpick Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel from heavy overnight rain. James O'Hara / The National Water is logged outside the Movenpick Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel from heavy overnight rain. James O'Hara / The National Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road going to Abu Dhabi. Ramola Talwar / The National Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road going to Abu Dhabi. Ramola Talwar / The National A car drives through a waterlogged road near Al Bateen airport. Scott Walker A delivery van struggles to navigate flood waters near Al Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi on Saturday about 9am. Courtesy: Scott Walker A man sweeps water from the running track along Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National Residents of The Greens enjoy their morning walk in the early drizzle. Antonie Robertson / The National Barsha Heights saw a medium amount of flooding that still proved challenging to morning commuters. Antonie Robertson / The National Barsha Heights saw a medium amount of flooding that still proved challenging to morning commuters. Antonie Robertson / The National A municipality worker supervises water being pumped from flooding along the roads near Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National A waiter at Burts in The Greens sweeps away some water to get ready for the business day. Antonie Robertson/The National Residents of The Greens get out their umbrellas today for their morning walk. Antonie Robertson / The National Flooding in Barsha Heights. Antonie Robertson / The National Residents of The Greens get out their umbrellas today for their morning walk. Antonie Robertson / The National The Greens saw heavy rain that left the streets wet. Antonie Robertson / The National Residents of The Greens enjoy their morning walk in the early drizzle. Antonie Robertson / The National A municipality worker supervises water being pumped from flooding along the roads near Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National Parking areas in the Discovery Gardens area in Dubai were inundated with water and residents raced to get their cars to safer spots following heavy overnight rainfall on Saturday. Courtesy: Antonie Abreu Flooding in Discovery Gardens. Courtesy: Antonio Abreu

“In the last five years we have managed to reach the optimum formula for the cloud seeding. We managed to use the technology in a very efficient way to harness the rain from the clouds that pass by the UAE. At the same time, we are continuing research.

“The other impact of climate change is food security, which is usually linked to the water. Almost 85 to 90 per cent of our food comes from abroad.

“For us, this is very risky and is not sustainable. So we have a couple of strategies – the food diversity and food security strategies – where we are looking at infrastructure, investing in technologies so we can do major agriculture work here in the country.”

Experts have previously voiced concern about the effect of climate change on the UAE. In 2017, a report by Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF suggested that by 2050 the temperature during the summer months could rise by up to 2°C, with a 10 per cent rise in humidity.

It also flagged up potential flash floods, saying annual rain could increase by 200 per cent.

At the assembly, Francesco La Camera, Irena’s director general, called for faster action globally to increase the proportion of energy generated from renewable sources.

The Abu Dhabi body said the 2020s must become a “decade of action”.

Irena published a document in which it said renewables could cover 57 per cent of power supply globally by 2030, up from 26 per cent in 2019.

Annual investment in renewables should grow from $329 billion in 2018 to $737 billion by the end of the decade, the organisation said.

“We have entered the decade of renewable energy action, a period in which the energy system will transform at unparalleled speed,” Mr La Camera said.

“To ensure this happens, we must urgently address the need for stronger enabling policies and a significant increase in investment over the next 10 years.

“Renewables hold the key to sustainable development and should be central to energy and economic planning all over the world.

“Renewable energy solutions are affordable, readily available and deployable at scale. To advance a low-carbon future, Irena will further promote knowledge exchange, strengthen partnerships and work with all stakeholders, from private sector to policymakers, to catalyse action on the ground.

“We know it is possible, but we must all move faster.”