Sustainability as a continuous approach

The UAE has a rich track record of achievements in the field of sustainability. This has been made possible through pioneering initiatives reflecting environmental preservation and authentic heritage values, as well as a methodology that balances the needs of both current and future generations to lead a prosperous life while limiting damage to Earth.

In the first Year of Sustainability (2023) under the theme “Today for Tomorrow”, the UAE has been supportive of climate action efforts to achieve sustainability, especially by hosting COP28. Moreover, the UAE has managed to realise several achievements in the areas of the environment and sustainable development. The achievements of COP28 demonstrate that the UAE has been able to raise the bar of hope for reducing the effects of climate change on a global scale by activating the Loss and Damage Fund to compensate countries in the South that are more affected by climate change. Another example of success is the UAE Consensus for climate action to shift away from fossil fuels in a fair and organised manner and accelerate the transition towards clean energy.

In fact, the UAE’s role in the area of clean energy extends to the whole planet - it is by no means limited to the UAE. The country is investing $100 billion in clean energy in a strategic partnership with the US, in addition to actual UAE investments worth nearly $50 billion in clean energy projects across 70 countries.

Considering that the Year of Sustainability 2023 was supportive of the achievement process, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God protect him, announced on the National Environment Day that the Year of Sustainability initiative will continue into 2024. This would provide a new opportunity to raise awareness about environmental sustainability and encourage community engagement in supporting sustainable strategies to build a more prosperous future for the homeland and its citizens.

The Year of Sustainability 2024 has a well-defined roadmap for accomplishing its goals. This is achieved through the leadership’s support of initiatives and activities aimed at highlighting the efforts to enhance collective action to address sustainability challenges, search for innovative solutions that benefit the world in energy and climate change, and keep developing solar power plants, smart cities, sustainable infrastructure and transportation, and the transition towards the green economy.

The Year of Sustainability reflects the UAE’s rich track record in maintaining its first and pioneering strategies at the Middle East level, especially the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategy. The UAE is making every effort to reach net zero by 2050 as a commitment by the country to enhance environmental protection and economic progress while establishing its status as an ideal destination for living and working.

The Sustainability Initiative will continue to offer more programmes in 2024. The Year of Sustainability is not merely made up of activities. It reflects a shift in community awareness of the importance of sustainability in everyday practices. This has enabled the UAE to top global indexes in environmental sectors through an integrated and robust system of laws and programmes. The UAE is second globally in terms of the Satisfaction with Preservation Efforts category of the Prosperity Index 2023. It ranked 13th in terms of the Environmental Laws indicator, according to the World Competitiveness Ranking 2023 report.

Sustainability is an important pillar of the UAE’s approach to finding practical solutions to climate change challenges. The country is expected to witness more momentum and sustainable ideas and initiatives in 2024 to address the challenges, find solutions to climate change crises, and encourage community behaviour and collective action aimed at achieving sustainability.

Ayesha Khalfan Al Remeithi
The writer is a researcher at TRENDS Research & Advisory

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