United Arab Emirates

About

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined the CCAC in 2019, demonstrating its support for minimizing air pollution and short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions. The UAE is situated in a region extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as warmer weather, less precipitation, droughts, higher sea levels and increased frequency of dust and sand storms. Therefore, the short-term benefits of reducing SLCP emissions will be increasingly important for the country in the near future. 

Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The UAE is a keen supporter of global efforts to address climate change. Recognizing the urgent need for multilateral cooperation in this regard, as a proud member of the Climate & Clean Air Coalition, we reaffirm our commitment to cutting down on SLCP emissions across all sectors through domestic policy-making and developing innovative solutions. Reducing the atmospheric presence and effect of these substances will help us slow the rate of climate change.”

In December 2020, the UAE submitted its second NDC, which highlighted an enhanced greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 23.5% by 2030 compared to the 2030 business-as-usual scenario. The key emissions covered by the revised commitments include emissions from the energy, industrial processes, product use, waste, agriculture, land use and forestry sectors.

Air quality has been an environmental priority for the UAE since 2013, when the UAE Vision 2021 plan was launched.  
 
Data collection and air quality monitoring began with the launch of UAE Vision 2021 and was expanded to inform the targets contained within the UAE’s National Air Quality Agenda 2031 (NAQA). NAQA is the guiding framework for indoor and outdoor air pollution, as well as noise pollution and ambient odours. In addition, the first UAE National Air Emissions Inventory, completed in 2019, provided valuable information about the sources of different key outdoor air pollutants in the UAE.  

In September 2022, the UAE updated its second NDC, raising the emission reduction target to 31 per cent, with key contributions from electricity generation, industry, transport, carbon capture, utilization, storage (CCUS), and waste management. 

As a Group 2 Article 5 party to the Kigali Amendment, the UAE is scheduled to freeze the consumption and production of HFCs in 2028 and reach 85% reductions from baseline production and consumption by 2047.

At the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2021, the UAE and the US jointly announced the launch of the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) initiative. This initiative aims to increase support for and investments in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation to enable solutions at the intersection of global hunger and the climate crisis.

During the same event, the UAE joined the Global Methane Pledge, an EU-US-led initiative that aims to cut global methane emissions by 30% by 2030. As one of the least methane-intensive nations in the world, the UAE welcomes the opportunity to share its capabilities and experience in best-in-class methane performance.

Learn more about the UAE’s climate action.

Other activities

Transport:

• 2013: The UAE introduced a law that bans diesel fuels exceeding a sulfur content of 10 ppm.
• 2015: The Dubai Green Mobility Initiative was launched with the aim of promoting the purchase of electric or hybrid vehicles. A new directive was added to the initiative in 2020 that raised its ambitions by setting the procurement target of hybrid and electric vehicles to 30% for all government organizations by 2030.
• 2016: The 264 km Stage One route of Etihad Rail became operational for freight movement. A single train journey on this line removes approximately 300 trucks from the road, reducing CO2 emissions by 70-80%.  Stage Two of Etihad Rail is slated to begin operations in 2023 and will extend over 605 km. On completion, the 1,200 km network will link all major industrial ports and trading hubs in the country.
• 2018: The UAE issued a mandate for all new vehicles to comply with Euro 4 standards, and a gradual transition is planned to achieve Euro 5/6 standards.

Waste:

• 2018: The Food Waste Pledge encouraged the UAE hospitality sector to adopt efficient food production and consumption practices and save millions of meals from the waste bin.
• 2019: The UAE became the first signatory to the Scale360˚ initiative of the World Economic Forum (WEF) that focuses on fast-tracking the implementation of circular economy solutions, which involves designing out waste, through nationally led innovation challenges.
• 2020: Construction work started on the Dubai Waste Management Centre (DWMC), scheduled for completion in 2024. The world’s largest waste-to-energy facility will process 1.9 million metric tons of municipal solid waste annually and divert 45% of the city's waste from landfills.
• The UAE introduced its Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 which targets the adoption of the circular economy concept in four priority areas – green infrastructure, sustainable transportation, sustainable manufacturing, and sustainable food production and consumption. The implementation of the Policy is expected to result in a significant waste reduction and more efficient management of the remaining waste.
• 2022: The UAE rolled out the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative (Ne’ma) that seeks to engage all stakeholders to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030 in line with Target 12.3 of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.
• 2022: The emirate of Sharjah inaugurated the Middle East’s first waste-to-energy plant with a capacity of 823 metric tons per day. The facility produces 30 megawatts of low-carbon electricity and diverts up to 300,000 metric tons of waste from landfills annually.

Agriculture:

• 2019: The UAE announced its focus on adopting climate-smart agricultural practices, including organic and hydroponic farming, new technologies and climate-adaptive crops, in order to reduce emissions from the sector.
• 2021: The UAE launched the Food Tech Valley project that is currently under development in Dubai. The first-of-its-kind AgTech city in the world seeks to serve as a testbed for pioneering agricultural innovations that will spearhead the transition to more sustainable food systems and position the country as a leading exporter of climate-smart agricultural solutions.

Oil & Gas:
 

• 2020: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) set a target to decrease its emission intensity by 25% by 2030, supported through its zero-flaring policy and measures such as resource efficiency, CCUS, as well as the use of state-of-the-art optical imagery for leak detection across the value chain.
• 2021: ADNOC announced the intention to source 100% of its grid power from clean (nuclear and solar) energy.