At the climate frontier: Sheikha Shamma’s push to move from words to bold deeds - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum - The rest of the world may not fully grasp how severe the climate emergency is in the Middle East, Emirati environmentalist Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan warns. She says the era of endless discussion is over; now we must act.
“2024 was the first year global temperatures crossed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels,” she said, “and 2025 is the year we must do something bold … there’s still time to change the path ahead.”
Sheikha Shamma founded the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA) in 2022 to encourage cooperation across sectors on sustainability. The organisation has now been rebranded as Frontier 25. “We’ve built trust, but we need to grow,” she said. “The new name helps us be clearer about who we are and focus on what actually works.”
Her concern for the region’s vulnerability deepened while working with international groups on climate and nature governance. “When I mentioned climate refugees as a possible shock to the Middle East, some people were taken aback,” she said. “But already about seven million people in the region are moving because of climate pressures. The risks are real and getting worse.”
Reports show the Middle East is warming about twice as fast as the global average, and problems like water shortages, food insecurity and extreme heat are pushing migration and instability. One UICCA study found that in recent years climate disasters in the Middle East and Central Asia have, on average, injured and displaced seven million people annually, caused thousands of deaths and billions in damages.
Sheikha Shamma hopes to see sustainability become part of the fabric of institutions across the region - not just a department or a title. “In ten years I hope sustainability won’t be a side role; it will be at the heart of every board decision,” she said. “We shouldn’t need chief sustainability officers if every leader is thinking that way.”
Education, capacity building and transparency are key to making this happen. As the planet nears dangerous tipping points, “frontier” describes the line between disaster and course correction - and also a place of opportunity. “Our region has always lived on frontiers - trade, innovation, culture,” she said. “We’re used to navigating tough environments and finding solutions where others see only obstacles.”
In a decade that will demand cooperation and courage, Frontier 25’s goal is straightforward: help the UAE and the wider region turn climate commitments into real action. “It’s a renewed pledge to do something, and to do it now.”
https://www.thenationalnews.co