However, since the mid-2000s, the leader
of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has launched the Dubai Clean
Energy Strategy 2050 and declared that the city would get "75
percent of its energy from clean sources by 2050" to achieve the
smallest carbon footprint in the world. Since then, some sustainable
initiatives have arisen in different fields from different actors.
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Sheikh Zayed Road. Image credits: Zuhai Lokhandwala
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Green Building with the Dubai Sustainable City
Built in 2018 by Diamond Developers, a
Dubai-based company, the Sustainable City seems like one of the most impressive
technical and ecological achievements in Dubai. It aims to become the first Net
Zero energy development community of the Middle East.
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Sustainable City
location in Dubai
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Even though this goal is not yet reached, in the Sustainable City, only three metric tons of carbon dioxide is emitted per year per person, which is more than two times less the world average and five times less the United-States. But truly, what drives this particular city to have such low carbon emissions?
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Sustainable City overview - Image credit : pisonpr.com
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A solar-based energy production system appears to fuel the whole city's activities. Indeed, one of the main challenges of sustainable building in an arid climate is the carbon emissions that result from a high consumption of air conditioning. To counteract the negative effects of the sun, the city is built with innovative materials and techniques. For instance, the UV reflecting paint used on the houses of the city helps to reduce heat gain so that individuals don't have to consume even more air conditioning. The windows and roofs also help to keep the fresh air inside. Moreover, every home is facing north to benefit from the shade.
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| Greenhouse illustration Credits: Golf Sotheby's International Realty |
Solar energy is also used for agriculture
and water treatment purposes. Eleven greenhouses run by solar energy provide
vegetables. The greenhouses are the result of the use of desert technology. To
keep the inside of the greenhouses cooler than the outside, a sustainable
air conditioning system is based on fans fueled by solar energy and cooling
pads.
Incentive policy
To sustain this
project in the long term, the Sustainable City wants people to make a soft
transition to an eco-friendlier lifestyle. Therefore, more and more incentives are
set up to make this lifestyle more attractive to a broader public.
For every purchase of an electric
car, the city will offer a cash subsidy of 10,000€, as well as the
facilities to take care of it.
In addition, the absence of
service or maintenance fees for homeowners generates an increased demand
for the Sustainable City's real estate market compared to Dubai. Rents in
the Sustainable City are, on average, no more expensive than in the rest of
Dubai. To rent a 4-bedroom villa will cost you around 50,000€/year,
which is the same price as in a residential area nearby called Arabian Ranches
and half that of a villa on the Palm Jumeriah.
Managing Dubai's e-waste
Besides the Sustainable City initiative,
Dubai has also implemented e-waste management measures. In the last decade,
megacities such as Dubai faced the issue of waste management. Today, due to
population growth, the development of the tech industry, and the subsequent
increase of disposable income, the UAE region is the biggest producer of
e-waste in the Middle East.
E-waste management in Dubai is a pressing
topic, as can be seen from the numbers. Every year, each resident generates, on
average, 17,2 kg of e-waste, which contains batteries, computers, mobile
phones, air conditioners, etc. Most of
this e-waste is not properly recycled and harms people's health because of the harmful
toxins released in the soil, water, and atmosphere.
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The Recycle Hub in Dubai's Industrial Park
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The city of Dubai has decided to launch
initiatives with private firms to fix this e-waste issue, which places Dubai as
a trendsetter in e-waste management in comparison to the rest of the
world.
First of all, every year since 2017,
Averda (leading waste management company) and Uber team up on the Environment
Day to pick up the e-waste of inhabitants of Dubai. In 2018, they collected
around 1 ton of e-waste in only one day. As Averda UAE's Market Manager
said: "We are always looking for engaging ways to connect with the
communities we serve and raise awareness about critical environmental issues".
However, we can wonder why this action only happens for one day!
The example of a sustainability-driven restaurant, Maison Mathis :
More recently, in 2019, a more viable
business model was founded. Enviroserve, a private leading e-waste management
company inaugurated The Recycle Hub, the world's largest e-waste recycling
facility. The project represents one of the largest foreign direct
investments as the Swiss Government Export Finance Agency backed the project. Dubai
is proving the fact that technological innovation and sustainability can
operate together.
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Vertical Farm in Maison Mathis
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Moving on to a
smaller scale project yet just as effective to convey the idea that a
sustainable future is possible. Maison Mathis is the perfect example of
individuals wanting to make a change for the environment. This neighborhood
restaurant reopened a year ago with some new eco-friendly initiatives.
From now on, the restaurant aims at having
a positive impact on the environment. Maison Mathis participates in the "reduce,
recycle, reuse" movement by improving their waste management
practices and limiting single-use plastic. The restaurant wants to "be
self-sufficient, promote food integrity and the consumption of ethical and
local produce."
Dubai, a hybrid ecological transition…
All these projects are just a drop in the
ocean of Dubai's 2050 plan for a clean and sustainable city – many more
are in the works, including the Solar Park with an expected production of 5,000
megawatts by 2030.
Still, from these few initiatives we have
explored together, it seems that Dubai has successfully adopted a hybrid
strategy by building an innovation ecosystem, gathering both private
and public initiatives and players.
Below I linked you some resources to further reserach the initiatives Dubai is taking. What is your city doing to become more sustainable? Let us know on our social media and feel free to share this article if you liked it.
Below I linked you some resources to further reserach the initiatives Dubai is taking. What is your city doing to become more sustainable? Let us know on our social media and feel free to share this article if you liked it.
An overview of Dubai's Solar Park initiative:
https://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/renewable-energy-shaping-the-future-of-sustainability-2020-01-05-1.691242
https://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/renewable-energy-shaping-the-future-of-sustainability-2020-01-05-1.691242
Shifting to a sustainable transport system in Dubai:
https://www.thetrypticnote.com/single-post/2019/06/30/Shifting-to-a-sustainable-transport-system-in-Dubai
The World's Most Improbable Green City
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/urban-expeditions/green-buildings/dubai-ecological-footprint-sustainable-urban-city/