A city that helps live a sustainable life
dubai — Accelerated integration of solar panel into the UAE’s electricity grid, mandatory solar power generation for new construction projects, public transport connectivity and car-sharing programmes, promotion of electric vehicles and mandatory waste segregation.
These are some of the policy recommendations that were culled from the recent greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory of a gated community in Dubai that will help the city reduce its carbon footprint.
The UAE’s carbon footprint is one of the highest in the world. On a daily average, a UAE resident produces 61.64kg CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent; the standard unit for expressing carbon footprints) or 22.5 tonne CO2e annually. This is three times more than the global average of 19.45kg CO2e daily and 7.1 tonne CO2e annual emissions recorded last year.
However, the total emissions in 2017 for Dubai’s Sustainable City, the region’s first fully-operational sustainable community, were 8.761 tCO2e with electricity accounting for 50 per cent; waste 38 per cent and water 11 per cent.
To put into perspective, the figures mean that the per capita grid electricity and water consumption is 42 per cent and 30 per cent less than the Dubai average respectively. The inventory results also show that the GHG intensity of the villas at the Sustainable City is almost 50 per cent less than that of a conventional villa in the UAE.
The Sustainable City was successful in achieving a lower footprint through efficient design, rooftop solar, solar-charged electric buggies, organic waste composting and other low-carbon initiatives.
The GHG inventory covered the emissions from the fully operational Phase 1, as well as electricity and fuel related emissions from the under-construction Phase 2 of the Sustainable City. Last year, 363 villas and 200 apartments were occupied, and the city had a resident population of approximately 1,900.
The report was prepared in accordance with the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories. The emission results were verified by Dubai Carbon, a private jointstock company established to cater
to building a low-carbon and green economy. The initiative is also in collaboration with Emirates Wildlife Society-World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF).
Laila Mostafa Abdullatif, EWSWWF director-deneral, said: “Climate change is a defining issue today, and cities and communities play a key role in addressing this global challenge. The Sustainable City is a prime example of how a mixed-use community can be developed and operated in line with sustainability principles and with consequently reduced emissions, even in the harsh climate of the Gulf.”
Moving forward, Faris Saeed, CEO of Diamond Developers (the company behind the Sustainable City), said: “We will be taking steps to further reduce our emissions through the addition of 3.6MW of solar PVs, the use of biodiesel for construction activities, and various awareness campaigns for residents.”
He added: “The results of our GHG inventory confirm that the Sustainable City is continually working to fight climate change and proactively reducing our carbon emissions in alignment with the Paris agreement and the sustainable development goals.”