Abdo on his electric bike in Doha as he embarks on a journey across eight Arab nations to raise awareness about climate change leading up to COP28.
Doha, Qatar: Egyptian motorcyclist and sustainability ambassador Ali Abdo hopes to spread awareness about climate change in the region as he traverses eight countries across the Middle East and North Africa ahead of the COP28, the UN climate summit in the UAE – from November 30 to December 12.
The “Ride to COP 28” initiative in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will see Abdo riding an electric motorcycle which covers 200km per day, riding from Egypt through Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman before concluding in the UAE.
“I started on October 1 from Egypt, and we are using a fully electric motorcycle on this. This initiative is built on the success of Cop27 in Egypt,” Abdo told The Peninsula in Doha after making earlier stops in Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The climate activist had crisscrossed Egypt for 30 days last year before COP27, covering 30,000km — breaking two Guinness World records: the world’s longest journey on an electric motorcycle and the longest journey in a single country on an electric motorcycle.
“During the current ride, we are trying to break three Guinness World Records. We have achieved one of them already: the most cities visited on a continuous journey on an electric motorcycle. The second we hope to achieve is the most countries visited on an electric motorcycle, and the third is the most capital cities visited on an electric motorcycle,” noted Abdo. The Egyptian is the first Arab to achieve a Guinness World Record on electric motorcycles and has the most Guinness World Records on electric vehicles.
The initiative seeks to raise awareness about the urgent need for climate action, empower Arab youth to address climate challenges and provide a platform for sharing success stories and sustainable solutions.
Abdo said while the Middle East region is one of the most impacted regions by climate change, it is not the main cause of climate change. According to him, the region needs support, and climate-impacted communities need technologies, knowledge, and financing, with many losing their source of living, food and homes.
Also, due to rising temperatures, several indigenous species and even communities have been forced to migrate. “We have witnessed climate migration in different areas, and I believe it is critical for the world to take real action.”
During the ride, Abdo will visit schools to educate young people and youth about climate change, how they can participate, and how to take action individually. The ride will also highlight each country and how they tackle climate change, initiatives introduced and sustainable projects, and environmental projects to raise awareness and empower youth.
“We highlight startups trying to reduce or make sustainable solutions like electric motorcycles, scooters, charging points, recycling, reducing energy consumption, etc. That is the idea behind the ride itself,” Abdo said.
“I’m trying to get attention about the cause itself -- to create a movement on climate action in the Arab region. We are trying to connect the private sector, government, and other stakeholders. We have partners in Qatar, like the Arab Youth Movement in Qatar, which helps us engage with everyone in this movement. Climate change affects everyone, and we have started to witness the effect in our daily lives.”
In Doha, Abdo met with the Ambassador of Egypt to Qatar, H E Amr El Sherbini and participated in several awareness activities.
