ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The UAE’s unwavering commitment to furthering climate action and fostering sustainable growth is paying rich dividends.
A case study by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), made available to Aletihad, spotlights the progress made towards the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy, particularly in transportation, agriculture and waste sectors.
A Pro-Climate, Pro-Growth Approach
The first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement, which concluded at COP28 in Dubai last year, affirmed that the world is not on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It emphasised that urgent action was needed to keep the 1.5 °C goal within reach, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
It is clear the crisis is outpacing human progress; climate-related events are becoming more frequent and more severe. The scale of the issue calls for climate action that reinvents the economic landscape.
The UAE is pioneering a visionary path towards a more sustainable future by leading with a pro-climate, pro-growth approach. Positive action, bold leadership, financial mechanisms, and robust public-private sector partnerships are transforming the nation’s industries, resulting in new sectors, and driving progress towards a more sustainable future.
The UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy strives for continuous efforts to combat climate change and works towards achieving sustainability and diversifying the economy.
The Strategy sets out an action plan to support the country’s Net Zero ambition by achieving the emission reduction goals in the nation’s key sectors including: transportation, agriculture and waste.
Transport
The UAE government has a strong vision for green mobility and is shaping the transport sector accordingly. It intends to dramatically reduce carbon emissions in the sector by 2050 and increase the share of electric vehicles on the road to 50% by mid-century.
This transformation of the transport sector is backed by a framework of policies, initiatives and investments that support businesses that share the nation’s vision for a sustainable transport future in the UAE.
Government investment is leading the greening of the rail, tram, and metro infrastructure in the country. Incentives to increase the number of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) on the road will also be introduced. As will policies to stimulate the decarbonisation of vehicles and phase down Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) .
In May 2024, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) and Etihad Water and Electricity formed a joint venture, UAEV, to provide a nationwide network of specialised EV charging infrastructure. This fully government-owned initiative illustrates the depth of investment and expertise underpinning the nation’s drive towards more sustainable transport. Supported by a robust infrastructure, the number of electric vehicles on the UAE’s roads is growing so much so that Abu Dhabi and Dubai have already added electric vehicles to their taxi fleet.
Business and authorities such as Etihad Airways, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), ADNOC are leading by example in dedicating efforts to transform the UAE’s transportation network. Etihad Airways has partnered with several industry players such as Boeing and General Electric to create the Etihad “Greenliner” programme, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched its Zero-Emissions Public Transportation in Dubai 2050 Strategy, as part of its commitment to reducing emissions from within the public transport sector. Whilst, ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) has partnered with TAQA to establish E2GO, to build and operate electric vehicle infrastructure in Abu Dhabi as well as across the UAE.
The UAE is actively pursuing green hydrogen projects to diversify energy sources and reduce carbon emissions. The transport sector in the country has been quick to deploy hydrogen projects such as ADNOC’s “high-speed” green hydrogen pilot refuelling station to test a fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles. Located in Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, this first-of-a-kind refuelling station in the region, will produce green hydrogen from water using an electrolyser powered by clean grid electricity.
Agriculture and Land Cover
With desert environment accounting for more than three quarters of the UAE’s total area, land management is critical to meeting the UAE’s sustainability goals. The nation is committed to protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems, establishing sustainable forest management, and combating desertification.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has extended the country’s designated protected areas to 49, accounting for 15% of the UAE’s territory.
The UAE is estimated to have 382,000 Ha of agricultural area and 320,000 Ha of forest area, in addition to the mangrove forests dotting the country’s coastline.
The UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the agriculture sector by placing food systems at the heart of climate action, exploring adaptation innovation to make food production more sustainable, and driving down carbon emissions by reducing imports.
The National Food Security Strategy 2051 aims to develop a comprehensive national system based on enabling sustainable food production by using modern technologies and enhancing local production. It is giving rise to innovative companies taking a holistic approach to agriculture by pioneering technological innovations to ensure food security for the UAE that does not come at the expense of the planet.
The emergence of the agri-tech sector is transforming the way we produce and source our food through technology and innovation. How agri-tech can challenge traditional farming methods is clearly showcased in the Food Tech Valley Project in Dubai, which brings together the entire food and agriculture ecosystem. With its 16 million square feet economic zone including indoor and vertical farms, a logistics zone, business park, and innovation and R&D centre, the Food Tech Valley project aims to be a significant disruptor of traditional food systems through its emphasis on sustainability.
Waste Management
The waste sector is responsible for 20% of global methane emissions and 3.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making waste management and waste decarbonisation critical to combating global warming.
In its efforts to decarbonise waste management and to establish a circular economy platform, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment launched the Waste to Zero initiative at COP28 in partnership with Tadweer, a UAE-based company dedicated to sustainable waste practices. Aligned with the Paris Agreement, the Waste to Zero initiative aims to raise awareness, promote solutions, and attract investments in sustainable waste management and recycling.
The UAE has made great progress in ensuring waste and pollution are “designed out” of its system by working towards reducing the number of landfills and treating 75% of its municipal solid waste.
As the first country in the region to launch a Circular Economy Policy, the UAE aims to optimise resource usage in four priority sectors including infrastructure, sustainable transportation, sustainable manufacturing, and food production and consumption.
The policy aims to drive all sectors to make the most out of resources, boost supply of recyclable plastics, increase recycled content, promote responsible consumption, and ensure environmentally sound management and recycling of plastic waste.
Efforts are afoot to make waste a resource rather than an environmental burden.
Abu Dhabi’s Taqa and Abu Dhabi Waste Management Centre Tadweer have partnered to build a100 MW facility, to generate enough power for 20,000 households in the emirate as well as cutting greenhouse gases. It is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by more than one million tonne per year.
The Sharjah Waste to Energy plant is yet another example of tackling waste effectively and efficiently. The plant is set to produce 30-megawatts of low-carbon electricity, diverting 300,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and displacing 450,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.