5th - 6th March 2024
Sustainability in UAE: Today's effort for a better tomorrow
The UAE government is predominantly working on giving its residents a futuristic feel through technology and sustainable transformation to promote UAE sustainability. Dubai's recent achievement of the title of "the world's cleanest city" by the Global Power City Index is the result of years-long hard work.
All of this commenced with the formation of the UAE Sustainable Development Goal that was formed in the year 2015 and that is the collection of several interlinked goals aiming to be achieved by 2030 and are a part of the UN Resolution called the "2030 Agenda".
In 2023, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai stated that sustainable development should be in the hearts of Emiratis.
On various occasions, he has been quoted stating that the UAE is at the forefront of creating a more sustainable future by practising renewable energy and combating climate change.
In this blog, we will be talking about 6 Areas UAE is prioritizing to keep cities clean and sustainable,
1 Recycling and Waste Management: Due to massive urbanization and population explosion, most of the wastes generated from residential and non-residential buildings are either dumped into landfills or dumpsites. UAE, being an active member of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal since 1990 is making an effort towards effective recycling and waste management according to the UAE government's official website.
Some of the recent developments are:
Waste management centres:
The collaborative efforts of the country’s government have strived hard to establish many new and improved technologies that convert waste into energy.
Additionally, earlier in 2023, Dubai launched the Al Warsan Waste to Energy Plant which is a 220 MW biopower project.
Centre of Waste Management like Tadweer - Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Integrated Waste Management Master Plan have a strong mission to zero the wastes being sent to landfills within 20 years by incorporating technologies like never before. Similarly, Beeah in Sharjah has also been established that works on the same model.
Technologies in Waste Management: Data-driven waste collection in the country is upscaling and we see Dubai and Abu Dhabi adapting technologies like IoT sensors and smart waste bins to monitor waste levels in real time.
2) Sustainable Cities and Communities: Right from the inception of UAE Sustainability Vision 2021, Dubai has been on a constant pledge to attain sustainable, safe and smart cities for its residents.
MASDAR CITY The futuristic city built almost a decade ago in Abu Dhabi is the first-ever sustainable city in UAE. From the architect to the technology the city uses, everything has been efficiently used. The city also uses low energy and water.
Sustainable City Dubai: This is the first-ever net zero energy city in Dubai successfully running.
Other projects are the Zayed Smart City Project in Abu Dhabi, Silicon Oasis Dubai, Desert Rose City and several others.
3) Smart Technologies: A smart traffic management system in Dubai has been launched to monitor the rush and pollution on roads.
Other tech-driven approaches in the country in smart technologies are:
● Integrated technology such as Information Communication Technologies [ICT] and the Internet of Things [IoTs] are gaining popularity.
● Smart Grid - This manages energy distribution evenly to all residents.
● Sustainable Mobility: To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the UAE government one of the key focus areas is sustainable mobility.
According to the Gulf News Report, The Middle East, especially the UAE region is a car-centric region. The prime focus of UAE sustainability is to electrify mobility and enrich the passenger's experience.
Spikes in Electric Vehicles (EVs): As the government advocates the use of clean energy, it is urging its citizens to use EVs and also investing in its changing infrastructure. UAE believes EVs as a transformation towards a greener future, a tangible reality and more than a concept.
Benefits of EV include
● Lower operating costs
● Significantly reduced CO2 emissions
● Numerous government subsidies like the free Salik tag and free charging through the public EV charging network of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) are promoting EVs in the region.
4) Affordable Clean Energy:
UAE’s sustainable objectives under affordable and clean energy are as follows:
● The government aims to give access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
● The sustainable percentage of the total global energy has to be increased.
● Energy efficiency rates need to be doubled.
● There should be more R&D institutes along with priority investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology.
● UAE aims to curate infrastructure across the UAE that supports upgraded technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services.
5) Water Conservation and Treatment: Seawater desalination as a source of freshwater in the UAE is challenging and costly. The government is implementing innovative strategies to tackle the water scarcity issue sustainably.
According to the report, more than 40 % of the UAE needs to go through 70 large-scale desalination plants, making up about 14% of the world's total desalinated water production.
The goals UAE has set are:
● By 2030 the nation will have universal and equitable access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water.
● Adequate and equitable access to sanitation and hygiene.
● Curb the toxins released in water from manufacturing industries and clean it for further consumption.
6) Green Finance and Investment:
UAE's financial institutions are targeting sectors that are working on clean, green and sustainable goals in the country.
In a recent report of Solar Quarter, major banks in the country allocated AED 190 billion for green financing.
The promotion of green finance is so extensive that MASDAR (Green Energy Company) recently raised $750 Billion through green bonds. Source - Mercom India.
Also, the banks in the UAE are playing a significant role in promoting sustainability and green financing in support of climate change initiatives.
Some of the top banks in the country naming: Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Emirates NBD, Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), Mashreq, and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) – allotted more than $51.8bn (Dhs190bn) in sustainable initiatives in 2022. Source - Gulf Business
We have just discussed a fraction of the development happening in the UAE but we hope these gave you a brief idea.
For more interesting reads, stay tuned!