Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (DUBAI)
Climate action and economic prosperity go hand in hand, unlocking new avenues for growth, said Dr. Amna Al Dahak, the UAE's Minister of Climate Change and Environment on Thursday at the World Government Summit 2025 in Dubai.
The minister highlighted the UAE's holistic system-wide approach in the development of its net-zero strategy, which spans across six sectors. The strategy is informed by consultations with all concerned stakeholders across industries and with the private sector.
"Net-zero from a government perspective cannot be achieved alone. We need to have every other partner with us on board," she said.
One of the models the UAE has implemented to encourage participation in the UAE Net-Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative is the National Dialogue on Climate Ambition (NDCA).
This initiative has already seen success, with over 140 companies joining the UAE's Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge, including industry giants like Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA).
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, CEO of EGA, shared the company's journey in decarbonising this hard-to-abate industry to further the UAE's net-zero target by 2050.
EGA is the first industrial company in the UAE and the first aluminium company in the world to be designated as an Industry 4.0 global lighthouse.
The company has implemented more than 80 Industry 4.0 use cases in the past four years, unlocking more than $100 million annually in savings. Its target going forward is to develop 40 new use cases per year, according to Bin Kalban.
When it comes to decarbonisation efforts, he noted that the company is currently in the final stages of developing new technology, capable of reducing its CO2 emissions by more than 4%.
EGA is also responsible for the creation of the world's first aluminium produced using solar power, CelestiAL, Bin Kalban added. Building on this innovation, CelestiAL-R is EGA's world-first blend of solar aluminium and recycled metal.
Dr. Al Dahak noted that the example set by EGA is a testament that climate action and economic prosperity are not mutually exclusive.
If net-zero can be achieved in this hard-to-abate industry, then it can be done across the board, the minister said.
