Organizers have unveiled the agenda for Carbon Forward Middle East 2026, scheduled for 14 and 15 January at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre alongside the World Future Energy Summit. The two-day programme will convene policymakers, investors, project developers and climate experts to address both opportunities and challenges in building high-integrity carbon markets as the region assumes a larger role in global net-zero efforts, according to a statement from the organizers.
In the announcement, Shyam Parmar, event director at the World Future Energy Summit, said carbon markets are becoming a defining feature of how nations and industries plan their net-zero pathways. He added that hosting Carbon Forward Middle East within the summit creates a unified platform where decarbonisation technologies, policy frameworks and financial instruments can be discussed together. The event is organised by Carbon Pulse and Redshaw Advisors in strategic partnership with Offset8 Capital and forms an associated event of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week hosted by Masdar.
Mike Szabo, co-founder of Carbon Forward and Carbon Pulse, stated that last year’s inaugural Middle East event confirmed the region’s increasing ambition and readiness to build credible, scalable carbon markets. The 2026 programme will deepen dialogue on global trends, the current state of Middle East carbon markets and country updates from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Türkiye regarding emerging pricing frameworks and national mechanisms. Perspectives from Oman, Jordan and Morocco will cover Article 6 readiness while sessions will explore emissions trading systems, voluntary market investment and the role of sovereign wealth funds in climate finance mobilisation.
A Women in Carbon breakfast will open the second day followed by sessions on Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism obligations and regional impacts as well as aviation compliance strategies under CORSIA, the announcement detailed. Further discussions will address nature-based and engineered carbon removals with emphasis on innovation in the UAE and Oman in addition to carbon capture utilisation and storage for industrial decarbonisation. The event will close with a workshop helping companies assess CBAM-related risks, reporting requirements and future cost exposure.
The Middle East carbon credit market was valued at $4.72 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $31.28 billion by 2033 at a compound annual growth rate of 19.9 percent, according to a Grand View Research report. Saudi Arabia has progressed its voluntary carbon market through the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company, which conducted auctions selling 3.6 million tonnes of credits including to major entities such as Saudi Aramco, according to regional policy updates. The UAE established the Carbon Alliance in 2023 and the first regulated carbon credit trading exchange under the Abu Dhabi Global Market to support its net-zero objectives, analyses of MENA climate policy show.
Louis Redshaw, co-founder of Carbon Forward and CEO of Redshaw Advisors, said every session has been designed and curated to provide a comprehensive carbon market agenda reflecting both the urgency and sophistication of climate action advancing across the region. Ivan Mozharov, co-founder and managing partner at Offset8 Capital, added that carbon markets in the Middle East are developing at a remarkable pace driven by progressive national strategies, advancing regulation and growing investor participation. The programme arrives as new mechanisms emerge in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman and Türkiye with accelerating clarity around Article 6 and cross-border cooperation.
The World Future Energy Summit, entering its 18th edition, drew more than 51,000 attendees from 124 countries in 2025, according to RX, the event organizer. Masdar, which hosts the summit as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, holds a global renewable portfolio exceeding 51 gigawatts and targets 100 gigawatts by 2030, the company has reported. Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week has convened government, private sector and civil society decision-makers for more than 15 years to advance sustainability dialogue and solutions.
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