Swedish Climate Envoy Mattias Frumerie
Doha, Qatar: Swedish Climate Envoy Mattias Frumerie recently paid a two-day visit to Qatar where he met with key figures engaged in the country’s environmental and climate efforts and discussed the potential for expanding Swedish-Qatari collaboration in the realm of climate action.
Frumerie was in Qatar on invitation by Ambassador Bader Al Dafa, Qatar’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and Sustainability and Commissioner General of Expo 2023 Doha.
During his visit, Ambassador Frumerie met with Minister of Environment and Climate Change, H E Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani and various stakeholders, including his Qatari counterpart and representatives from think tanks, institutes, and Swedish businesses. The discussions revolved around opportunities for cooperation in the fight against climate change and sustainable development.
In an exclusive interview with The Peninsula, Frumerie shared insights on his visit and the avenues for cooperation between the two countries.
Frumerie expressed his enthusiasm for the visit, highlighting the importance of engaging with Qatar on climate action. He emphasized exploring ways to enhance collaboration between Sweden and Qatar, including engaging think tanks, research institutions, and Swedish businesses. Frumerie mentioned a specific opportunity for cooperation at COP28, where Swedish think tanks and research institutions could partner with Earthna, a member of the Qatar Foundation, to further their climate goals.
“This is a long-term approach in terms of exploring ways where we can be expanding collaboration with Qatar,” said Frumerie.
He outlined the three core elements of Swedish climate diplomacy, namely: policy, finance, and innovative technology. Frumerie underlined the importance of combining these elements to create a comprehensive strategy for climate action. By implementing sound procedures, ensuring financial support, and fostering innovation within the business community, he believes countries can accelerate their climate efforts and inspire global change.
Frumerie also discussed specific sectors where collaboration between Sweden and Qatar could be fruitful. He highlighted the potential for joint efforts in energy transition, industrial decarbonization, and transportation electrification. Sharing experiences and expertise in these areas could benefit both countries and serve as a platform for business actors and research institutions to collaborate.
Regarding climate finance, Frumerie emphasised Sweden’s commitment to providing it and expressed the government’s intention to increase its contributions.
He noted the success of Swedish financial sector actors in aligning their investments with the Paris Agreement. He suggested that Sweden and Qatar could learn from each other in building regulatory environments to incentivize such investments.
Frumerie also emphasised the potential for Qatari investments in global green finance and how this could support the world’s transition to a sustainable future.
In the interview, Frumerie acknowledged the importance of each country determining its contribution to climate action while recognizing the urgency of the task. He mentioned the necessity of sharing experiences and solutions, expressing a willingness to learn from Qatar’s experiences in the transition to sustainable energy.
Frumerie expressed his gratitude to Qatar for hosting Expo 2023, which he saw as a valuable platform for countries to present their solutions and explore areas of collaboration.
At COP28, Frumerie and Sweden aim to convey two main messages: urgency, based on the scientific evidence of climate change, and opportunity, highlighting the economic growth and job creation potential of the transition to a sustainable future. He pointed to Sweden’s experience in various sectors, including forestry, agriculture, heavy industry, and the financial sector, as an example of how the transition brings opportunities and is already underway.
“We are looking to share Swedish experience and the kind of transition that Swedish business actors are making across all economic sectors, from forestry and agriculture to heavy industry, but also within the financial sector. So that is what we hope to share with our global partners and also inspire countries across the world that, the transition brings opportunities, and that the transition is possible,” said Frumerie.
He underscored the importance of COP meetings as an opportunity to collaborate on climate action. He called for ongoing bilateral dialogues and sharing of experiences to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, resilient future.
Frumerie emphasised the pivotal role of the Gulf region in the global transition, given its role as one of the world’s most important energy suppliers. He stressed the need for collaborative efforts to reduce the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases while in parallel building diversified and resilient economies, to the benefit of all countries, including the least developed ones.
He reiterated the need for urgency and the recognition that different countries may have different timelines but share the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the Paris Agreement.
