Race to a clean, green and sustainable future

Initiatives and projects undertaken by the UAE as part of its Net Zero by 2050 initiative to achieve net-zero emissions, also offer a rich template to nations of the world on achieving their respective net zero targets

The official portal of the UAE Government succinctly describes the vision and mission of the nation’s UAE Net Zero by 2050 initiative. A national drive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the UAE Net Zero by 2050 initiative will also make the UAE the first Middle East and North Africa (MENA) nation to achieve such a goal.

The initiative aligns with the UAE’s roadmap for accelerating national economic development to mark the country’s golden jubilee year as the nation launches into a new 50-year growth cycle. Called Principles of the 50, the major economic opportunities offered by the path to net zero directly support a vision to develop the UAE into the world’s most dynamic economy.

Global Alignment

The UAE Net Zero 2050 strategic initiative also directly aligns with the Paris Agreement, which calls on countries to prepare long-term strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It also looks at limiting the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels.

However, while the Paris Agreement attempts to uphold its vision to ensure global temperatures stay within 2°C by 2100, and preferably closer to 1.5°C, the UN Emissions Gap Report 2020 presents a more dire picture. The report forecasts that “...despite a brief dip in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is still heading for a temperature rise in excess of 3°C this century – far beyond the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C.”

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Be that as it may, the grim realities only made the nations of the world more resolute in coming together and cohesively trying to find a solution to the issue. By 2020 more than 110 countries had in fact committed to a net zero emissions target by 2050, and China, the largest emitter, by 2060. Carbon neutrality means some emissions are still being generated but will be offset somewhere else, concluding in net zero emissions. Closer to home, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) has taken the lead to coordinate efforts and execute the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative, ensuring collaboration at a national level to fulfil this objective.

UAE INITIATIVES

Stakeholders in key sectors in the UAE such as energy, economy, industry, infrastructure, transport, waste, agriculture, and the environment, will update relevant plans, strategies, and policies, and implement initiatives and projects to achieve net zero by 2050 in line with their needs and growth requirements.

Both federal and local government authorities will also be responsible for preparing comprehensive studies and developing plans to introduce measures necessary to reduce emissions while also ensuring economic growth based on sustainability principles.

For instance, the deployment and use of clean energy solutions is one of the main pillars of the UAE’s model of addressing the challenge of climate change and reducing GHG emissions. The UAE began financing clean energy projects more than 15 years ago, and has invested more than $40 billion in the sector. Current trends predict the production capacity of clean energy, including solar and nuclear, to reach 14GW by 2030, up from about 100MW in 2015 and 2.4GW in 2020.

NEED OF THE HOUR

Energy innovations over the past two decades have offered a