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ABU DHABI, 1st May, 2023 (WAM) — The UAE continues its pioneering efforts to combat climate change through various institutions that have implemented various initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increased investment in clean energy, And launched various project departments for renewable energy.
In this report, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) highlights the efforts and initiatives of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) to reduce emissions. The agency employs a number of technologies that help reduce the carbon footprint of industrial production and the economy in general, and is switching to renewable or low-carbon energy sources.
Technological solutions in the transport sector include options such as increasing the number of electric vehicles (EVs) and public transport, and using non-traditional fuel sources such as hydrogen. In the hydropower production sector, solutions can be found in the field of use or production, such as increasing the contribution of new and renewable energies in energy production, reducing waste in the electricity and water sectors, and utilizing modern technologies that consume less energy, including energy conservation reverse osmosis technology.
Regarding technologies to capture and absorb residual emissions, the agency is currently developing natural solutions for carbon sequestration, such as for the Riyada project, by expanding green areas and planting trees, including mangroves, and utilizing modern technologies to capture and store carbon underground. This is a leading project aimed at harvesting carbon dioxide gas, which can then be used in underground oil wells.
New technologies are being researched and developed, such as those based on mixing natural materials with beach sand to interact with ocean waves, thereby capturing and storing carbon. However, these technologies have limited potential to address remaining emissions, so efforts must first be made to reduce emissions before seeking solutions to absorb them.
The institution collaborates with eight domestic specialized academic research universities and several international institutions. This year, a Strategic Research Plan will be developed to support existing research efforts and identify priorities and needs to address current research gaps. It will also develop national capacity and capabilities and foster collaboration with national and international agencies to link research systems and ensure future integration.
To strengthen scientific research on environmental issues affecting Abu Dhabi, the authorities established the Abu Dhabi Environmental Research Network, which aims to create a multidisciplinary community of researchers and innovators working together to improve knowledge on the environment and related issues in the emirate. scientific knowledge.
The network aims to facilitate the exchange of expertise, adopt best practices, form partnerships and collaborate on research projects. It also invites environmental experts, scientists and experts to work together to address knowledge gaps and conduct specialized research using the latest scientific tools and advanced technologies.
The UAE and Abu Dhabi, on the other hand, have become the first countries in the region to develop a roadmap and target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Relevant entities in the emirate are also working with the private sector to draw up plans to reduce emissions. They are working to encourage community engagement through awareness raising and empowerment programmes, which will enable the emirate to achieve this key goal.
The authorities explained that achieving zero carbon emissions means that the total amount of carbon emissions from human activities must be equal to zero. Greenhouse gases must not be released into the atmosphere, whereas achieving net zero emissions means reducing emissions to the lowest possible level and balancing remaining emissions with natural carbon removal technologies, including planting carbon-absorbing trees such as mangroves, or Through industrial carbon removal technologies, such as carbon capture at source, reuse and storage, or extraction of carbon directly from the air, and support for projects that lead to carbon reductions.
According to the agency, several steps must be taken to achieve net zero emissions, including measures to reduce emissions from major emitting sectors. For example, there are measures to transition from reliance on fossil fuels to reliance on renewable energy generation, such as related projects implemented and planned in Abu Dhabi, including the Shams Abu Dhabi and Al Dhafra PV2 solar power plants, in addition to setting up EAD and Abu Dhabi Department of Energy in 2022 Ambitious goals for the transition to clean energy were announced in 2009.
Technologies to reduce emissions from industrial processes, such as the Riyada project between UAE steel company Arkan and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and the use of low-carbon transport to encourage the adoption of low-emission vehicles and electric vehicles while reducing emissions from the oil and gas sector Emissions from various initiatives, including the transition to peaceful nuclear energy, to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the production of energy consumed by ADNOC’s operations. Lower-impact sectors such as agriculture and waste management can also reduce emissions, while in the area of ​​carbon removal there are many measures available based on natural solutions such as tree planting or measures involving underground carbon injection technologies where carbon can be stored in the oil and gas sector. to process.
Technology plays a vital role in achieving net zero emissions, or carbon neutrality, with renewable energy technologies that can replace fossil fuels in certain sectors to reduce carbon emissions, and electric vehicles that can help reduce emissions in the transport sector. In addition, advanced industrial and sustainable building technologies can reduce emissions from the industrial and building sectors, and technologies can achieve carbon removal or negative emissions through various means such as carbon capture and storage.
Technology can also monitor, mitigate, track and report emissions, which is critical to gauging the effectiveness of measures taken to achieve net-zero emissions.
In general, technology can accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy by providing solutions to reduce emissions, facilitating carbon removal, and monitoring progress. However, the use of technology must be accompanied by appropriate policies and regulations to facilitate this transformation.
As part of its commitment to the UAE Government’s Sustainable Development Vision, Abu Dhabi is leading a series of projects aimed at reducing the impact of climate change. The emirate has made a major effort to draft an ambitious strategy linked to achieving climate neutrality in the country by 2050.
Abu Dhabi’s strategy focuses on leadership in climate action, including improving resilience, reducing emissions and adopting innovative low-carbon solutions to meet its emissions reduction targets.
In 2013, the authorities launched the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project in collaboration with key partners including the United Nations Environment Programme. The project advances research on the importance of mangroves and their role in addressing climate change through carbon sequestration. It also affirms the importance of blue carbon habitats and ecosystems, including Abu Dhabi’s mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes, algal mats and coastal carbonates.
The study showed that Abu Dhabi’s mangroves contain 98 tonnes of carbon per hectare, equivalent to 1.7 million tonnes of Abu Dhabi’s total mangrove area of ​​17,500 hectares. The project was later expanded to other emirates in the country to determine the national carbon storage capacity of mangroves.
In 2020, the “United Arab Emirates mangrove soil carbon exchange rate assessment experiment” was carried out to assess the carbon exchange rate of UAE mangrove soil. The results showed that, in addition to the carbon stored in the mangrove ecosystem, mangroves sequestered 0.5 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year, equivalent to 8,750 tonnes of carbon sequestered by 17,500 hectares of mangrove forests in Abu Dhabi.
During COP26, the UAE announced a national plan to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030, while Abu Dhabi unveiled ambitious plans in February 2022 to make the emirate a global leader by launching the Mangrove Initiative. Center for Conservation Research and Innovation.
The initiative aims to provide a platform for the development of innovative solutions for mangrove plantation that will help mitigate the effects of climate change, raise awareness of their importance and restoration needs, and establish an advanced mangrove forest in Abu Dhabi Nursery in order to make the emirate a center for relevant studies and studies.
The agency is working with the Ministry of Energy to make progress in Abu Dhabi’s energy mix and lower carbon emissions by drafting a new regulatory framework to generate the majority of Abu Dhabi’s electricity from clean and renewable sources by 2035, which is A vital step towards achieving the UAE’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
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