The ninth National Dialogue for Climate Ambition (NDCA) was held at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE), with the theme “Decarbonising the Buildings Sector” and the goal of accelerating national efforts in all sectors to achieve net-zero targets by 2050.
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, emphasized in her keynote address that reducing carbon emissions is essential to the fight against climate change because it has a multiplicity of positive effects on efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change while also lowering the likelihood of harm and loss.
“The buildings and construction sector contribute significantly to the national carbon footprint. Globally, the buildings and construction sector is estimated to account for up to 40 percent of annual GHG emissions. This sector has the most embedded emissions as it relies heavily on concrete, which is one of the most used products globally. The industry is increasingly recognizing that it must act now to reduce its environmental impact,” she said.
Almheiri explained, “We will focus on five opportunities in the buildings sector: ensuring green procurement practices within one’s operations by adopting procurement standards that promote partnering with suppliers of low-carbon products, updating building regulations for new buildings, retrofitting existing buildings to improve energy efficiency, increasing penetration of efficient cooling, as well as the use of solar thermal in residential areas, and reducing waste generation and promoting recycling of Construction and demolishing waste.”
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The Minister of Climate Change and Environment added, “In line with the Year of Sustainability, and the UAE’s hosting COP28, we are keen to highlight the UAE’s goal towards achieving net zero by 2050 by involving the private sector in reducing GHG emissions, adapting to climate change and promoting sustainable practices. COP28 will provide an opportunity for companies to exchange experiences and the most effective ways to achieve the goal.”
In her keynote speech during the session, Almheiri praised the efforts of Aldar Properties and their effective contributions in reducing carbon levels towards achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
The session was held in Aldar Properties headquarters in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi, with the participation of Talal Al Dhiyebi, CEO of Aldar Properties, and the presence of 100 representatives of relevant authorities from federal and local government entities and the private sector.
The “UAE Climate Responsible Companies Pledge” that seeks to increase the engagement of the private sector in the country’s decarbonization drive, launched by MoCCAE during its fourth NDCA meeting, the ninth NDCA session today saw 9 new companies joining the pledge, including Market solutions, CEMEX, Cool Earth solution, Serco, Sharjah National Oil Corporation, Sobha, AECOM, DNV, and Tabreed.
The eighth session witnessed the joining of nine companies, including Re Sustainability Limited, Soma Mater Radical Transparency, Green Energy Sulution & Sustainability LLC, Abu Dhabi Commercial bank, Johnson Controls Middle East, Xoom Delivery Services, First Abu Dhabi Bank, ENGIE Solutions, and PDCG Real Estate Lease and Management Services.
The total number of companies joining and signing the “UAE Climate Responsible Companies Pledge” has reached 62 mainly from the private sector.
NDCA is a series of industry-specific assemblies in various sectors such as cement, waste management, finance, and others, aimed at raising sectoral climate ambitions and informing the UAE’s roadmap to net zero by 2050.
Story adapted from Emirates
