The UAE is taking a serious step to reduce its carbon footprint: It is banning imports of inefficient air-conditioning units, which are by far the biggest energy hogs in most homes and offices throughout the Gulf region. As of next January, only air-conditioning units complying with the country's new star-based labelling system for energy efficiency will be allowed entry to the Emirates. "We are also in co-ordination with the UAE customs [authorities] to develop electronic links for the traders to get access to the system and have all of their approvals before shipping the units to [the] UAE," Mohammad Badri, the acting director general of the (ESMA), said in a statement. In addition, ESMA was exploring ways to persuade users to replace existing low-efficiency air conditioners, he added. "Air-conditioning units which are not efficient will soon cease to trade in the UAE," he said. "We are trying to get rid of low [efficiency] products to assist the economy of the UAE." Through this straight-forward initiative, ESMA is aiming to cut residential power and commercial consumption by as much as 30 per cent. As part of its plan, the authority has launched a major campaign to raise public awareness of how its can help consumers cut household costs, even in a country that continues to subsidise electricity. "If you use a one-star labelled air conditioning unit, you may save up to 12 per cent; but if you use a five-star labelled unit, your cost savings could reach up to 30 per cent," Mr Badri said. ESMA will also enter discussions with the corresponding authorities of other GCC nations on developing a harmonised energy-efficiency labelling system. That would clear the way for distributors of energy efficient products to gain access to the entire regional market without having to gain individual approvals from each country. "We are already in dialogue with Saudi Arabia since they are in the process of developing [a] similar labelling system," Mr Badri said. The in its rated the UAE as the country with the world's highest per capita ecological footprint. Two years later, the Paris-based placed the UAE in third place for per capita carbon dioxide emissions, behind its GCC neighbour Qatar and the Dutch Antilles. Three other GCC members, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, were respectively ranked fouth, fifth and 19th. "To address this, the UAE embarked on in-depth research to understand and manage its ecological footprint," ESMA said. Stricter environmental standards for air-conditioner imports could significantly cut domestic fossil-fuel consumption and carbon emissions in the Emirates and GCC over the long-term. In the short-term, however, implementation of the plan could have counterproductive side-effects. Under an agreement reached with ESMA, traders in the UAE with inefficient air-conditioning units still on their shelves after the January deadline will still be allowed to sell the units or ship them elsewhere. But the merchants will need to cut prices on less energy-efficient inventory to clear it. For a time, that could actually increase sales of low-efficiency air conditioners. The alternative of selling the products outside the UAE would only export the problem to jurisdictions with lower environmental standards. A better option would be for ESMA to purchase domestic traders' remaining sub-standard inventory for disposal, with due consideration given to materials recycling.