Dubai managed to reduce its carbon emissions by 33% during 2020, more than doubling the target percentage set by the emirate’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions, according to Saeed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy.
The initial targeted reduction set in the strategy was 16% by the year 2021.
According to Al Tayer, This comes in line with the vision of UAE’s Vice President, PM and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to turn the emirate into a global capital for green economy and sustainable development.
One of the factors which contributed to this achievement is the increase in the production of energy from renewable and clean sources in Dubai, which contributes at the moment 11.38% of the total energy produced in the emirate.
The expansion of the use of district cooling systems, also contributed to saving about 650 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2020, which helped cut back on carbon emissions, according to officials.
Incentives to encourage the increased use of electric cars, and initiatives to reduce carbon emissions in Dubai, also helped in the process of carbon emission reduction.
This achievement comes within the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, among other initiatives to provide 100% of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050, and its strategy to reduce demand by 30% by 2030.
Al Tayer stressed that Dubai is moving “at a steady pace” to achieve its strategic goals of transitioning to a carbon neutral economy by 2050 to ensure a more sustainable future for future generations.
