Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
As the UAE pushes ahead with its low-carbon ambitions, experts say the next decade will be defined by the rise of intelligent infrastructure - where hydrogen, AI, data systems and integrated policymaking combine to turn climate goals into measurable progress.
Aletihad spoke with sustainability leaders who outlined how the country's approach is evolving from fragmented pilot projects to nationwide platforms that embed sustainability into every sector of the economy.
From Compliance to Performance
Senior Sustainability Partner at global consultancy Kearney, Hani Tohme, said that the UAE is entering a more mature phase of its sustainability journey, moving from isolated initiatives to a systemic model rooted in performance and long-term value creation.
He explained that this transformation is accelerating due to growing regulatory pressure and the financial integration of environmental assets through tools like carbon markets.
"The most meaningful breakthrough will be the shift from sustainability as a reporting exercise to sustainability as a performance and value system," he said, pointing to advances in electrification, energy storage and cheaper renewables that are enabling deep decarbonisation across transport, industry, and power.
"Assigning a financial value to natural capital, and embedding it into decision-making, will change how organisations design products, manage assets, and allocate capital," he added.
Tohme noted that the UAE is well-positioned to influence the global sustainability agenda across areas such as energy transition, climate finance, water, carbon pricing and circularity due to its "increasingly systemic" strategy, where sustainability is becoming "a driver of competitiveness and resilience, not just compliance."
"The future of sustainability in the UAE is very positive. We see a transition from isolated initiatives toward integrated national platforms, where data, regulation, finance, and partnerships work together," he said.
The UAE's integrated approach - where ambition, execution, and international leadership reinforce each other - is boosting the country's resilience across cities, infrastructure, water, energy, and communities. And according to Tohme, this will be a defining lens for the next phase of the country's growth, moving beyond box-ticking toward new business models and long-term value creation.
Hydrogen and Scalable Clean Tech
Managing Director of MEA at Smartenergy, Waleed El Kalash, said that hydrogen and digital optimisation will be among the most impactful technologies of the next decade.
"Key trends include using AI to optimise energy systems and manage fast-growing demand, and shifting toward green and low-carbon hydrogen to decarbonise sectors that cannot be electrified," he said.
He pointed to the benefits of having a diverse energy portfolio to meet climate goals, helping decarbonise heavy industries and positioning the UAE as a global clean-fuel hub.
"The strongest solutions are large-scale renewables and a diversified energy mix - solar, wind, and cleaner hydrocarbons - that delivers decarbonisation while protecting energy security and affordability."
Prof. Phil Hart, Chief Researcher of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Research Centre at TII, meanwhile, stressed the importance of implementing scalable, clean tech that balances environmental impact with commercial feasibility.
"One clear trend is the focus on solutions that are both sustainable and economically viable," he said, integrated projects that combine solar energy with agriculture, extend the life of solar panels, reduce energy use in desalination, and lower water and fertiliser usage.
Hart said that affordability and scalability will determine which technologies succeed.
"Once clean solutions are affordable at scale, adoption accelerates rapidly. Energy production and use is the key contributor to emissions, so a move to as many renewables and as few fossil fuels as possible is vital for our net zero targets."
Sustainability as a Standard
Senior Director of Public Affairs at talabat, May Youssef, said that companies are beginning to treat sustainability as a core part of their operations, not a standalone function.
Youssuf believes that the tipping point will come when "low-carbon solutions become the default economic choice – not just the ethical one", adding that the private sector's participation in this shift is no longer optional.
She identified three major trends that are driving sustainability across the UAE: electrification of last-mile delivery, data-driven decarbonisation through collaboration, and the system-wide integration of cleaner energy sources.
"Two-wheelers are the fastest and cheapest way to cut urban transport emissions," she said, citing urban mobility as a key example of how electrification can satisfy both economic interests and sustainability requirements.
Youssef described data, technology, policy, finance and innovation as "the five pillars" of scaled action, and said the UAE's strength lies in aligning them under a common direction.
"Over the next decade, sustainability here will not be a separate sector; it will be built into mobility, green energy, food waste, and digital commerce."
