The UAE has long-term strategies for environmental sustainability

Sustainability strategies and confronting climate change top the national action agenda in the UAE, which enhances the country’s position regionally and globally in all indicators related to environmental protection, according to a study conducted by the Interregional Center for Strategic Analyzes in Abu Dhabi. The UAE’s contributions and initiatives during COP 28 gained more regional and international momentum and support to reach the best compatible formula for environmental protection and sustainability, in addition to obtaining international promises to allocate hundreds of billions of dollars to finance climate and sustainable projects.
Interregional said that the UAE is moving forward in strengthening its environmental leadership by continuing to pump tens of billions of dollars in investments and providing legislation, regulatory frameworks, initiatives and policies to confront climate change, which has ensured that it deals with global trends by signing dozens of treaties and participating in initiatives around the world.
In this context, Interregional issued the “UAE Environmental Achievement Index 2023” to monitor and follow up on the effectiveness of the environmental efforts undertaken by the country in the field of environment and climate, by measuring and tracking 32 sub-indicators since the launch of the “UAE Vision 2021” in the year 2010 until 2022. He also presented forecasts up to the year 2030.
The Environmental Achievement Index is an aggregate quantitative measure, built in accordance with the Guide for Building Composite Indicators issued by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as an arithmetic average of four sub-indicators, namely: climate change, biodiversity, maintaining a healthy and clean environment, and environmental awareness and behavior.
The Center stressed that the UAE’s approach to climate change has become a top priority for government action, in an effort to reach “zero climate neutrality” and invest in green resources. These efforts are consistent with international movements and enhance the country’s regional and global role in this aspect. He explained that there are a number of motives and reasons behind the UAE giving great priority to confronting the phenomenon of climate change. It comes in the context of the state’s keenness to achieve its strategic plans regarding the issue of climate change. Among the main considerations that made climate change a priority for the government are the catastrophic repercussions globally, most notably: the spread of drought and floods, the sinking of cities, waves of displacement, damage to agriculture and infrastructure, as well as the exacerbation of global food security crises.
The study confirmed that the UAE has adopted a comprehensive approach in dealing with the climate change crisis, seeking to achieve environmental sustainability through an integrated legislative and regulatory framework, with coordination and cooperation with the international community in this regard. The most prominent dimensions of this approach are: localizing clean energy, adopting peaceful nuclear energy, and supporting The climate legislative and knowledge structure and coordination with the international and regional community to support international efforts to confront climate change. The UAE was the first country in the region to announce its endeavor to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and from here the UAE gained the trust of the international community to host COP28.