Dubai reduced carbon emissions by 22% in 2019

The emirate's carbon emissions have reduced over the last four years, the authorities said

With the UAE showing signs of recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, experts say now is the time for investors to consider purchasing property. Reem Mohammed/The National

Dubai cut more than 14 million tonnes of carbon emissions in 2019, a 22 per cent reduction, state news agency Wam reported on Tuesday.

The findings came after the emirate's Supreme Council of Energy reviewed progress on its integrated water resource management strategy and carbon abatement at an online meeting.

The group – headed by chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum – said emissions had fallen significantly over the last four years as a result of a green growth strategy.

"Results achieved exceeded the targets set in the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 16 per cent by 2021," said Saeed Al Tayer, vice chairman of the council and managing director and chief executive of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

Dubai's water strategy is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the resource, rationalising demand and using the latest technologies to reduce consumption by 30 per cent by 2030. The strategy sits with the emirate’s clean energy programme, which is aimed at meeting 75 per cent of Dubai’s needs from clean sources by 2050.

Last year, Dubai reported achieving total savings of about Dh1.2 billion over the previous decade because of its efforts to conserve electricity and water, according to Dewa.

Cumulative savings of around 2 Terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity and 7.4 billion gallons of water were achieved between 2008 and 2018.

Energy efficiency has become an integral part of clean energy strategies in the region, with the UAE one of the first countries to have targets in place to achieve electricity and water savings.