It doesn’t matter where you live or how environmentally conscious you are, eco-guilt can strike anyone.
The Urban Dictionary (that bastion of vocabulary) describes eco-guilt as: “The feeling you get when you could have done something for the environment, but consciously made the decision not to.”
Living in Dubai, I get it all the time. I could turn my air-conditioning off far more than I do. I could recycle more. I could compost my fruit and vegetable scraps. I could replace the real grass in our garden with tiles or even a faux lawn. I need to stop forgetting my reusable shopping bags!
I could go on – and I do, in my head, with endless running subconscious commentary on my carbon footprint and how I could, I should, be doing better.
Experiencing eco-guilt means you are aware of your choices. This is the first step in your journey towards making a difference
Puja Karani,
partnerships manager at The Goodness Company
How do I manage it? Not particularly well, but mostly I have to remind myself that I'm doing my best. That if I forget the tote bag this time and take a plastic one instead (or end up buying another one for my collection of hundreds, which does rather defeat the point), then I can reuse it and do better next time.
While some might find this emotion motivational, sparking a passion in them to do more for the environment, others may start to feel a sense of paralysis, as they consider themselves a bad person for not already doing so.
I fall into both camps, switching between wannabe eco-warrior and apathy, and I have no doubt that I'm not alone on this.
Puja Karani, partnerships manager at UAE sustainability-focused everyday essentials brand The Goodness Company, says she’s prone to eco-guilt, too, despite her planet-saving job.
“In today’s fast-paced and demanding world, we are all experience eco guilt at some point in our lives,” she tells The National. “From using disposables to purchasing high street fashion, and to the food choices I make sometimes, I do experience this guilt.”
To manage this, Karani has reviewed what’s within her control and how she can realistically make a difference. “I set goals for myself and my household that are achievable. We started with educating people at home to reduce the use of single-use plastic. Carrying reusable bags, avoiding the use of plastic straws and plates, and, when possible, refusing to take bags with our new shopping.”
Other small changes we can make at home include swapping toiletries for eco-friendly alternatives, for example, or eating less meat, buying produce from local vendors and choosing secondhand clothes and furniture.
Karani’s now teaching her children about how to reduce their own impact on the planet.
“Experiencing eco-guilt means you are aware of your choices,” says Karani. “This is the first step in your journey towards making a difference. Start by setting small, realistic goals initially for yourself and then extending these to your homes and workplaces.”
Nada El Barshoumi, the brains behind blog One Arab Vegan, also feels it. "Although I try to be forgiving towards myself, I definitely feel eco-guilt from time to time, especially around recycling," she admits. "I do my best to recycle as much as I can, but it’s not always possible 100 per cent of the time."
It's easy to be struck by a sense of apathy when you remember the planet will only be saved if those in charge act. "Although individual contribution is paramount, what we really need is institutional support and policymaking to help make real progress on environmental issues," says El Barshoumi.
But we can, in the meantime, at least increase demand for sustainable products in our local areas, ask brands and businesses to do better and generally make noise about what we will no longer stand for among governments and communities.
"My guilt around recycling may prompt me into making more conscious choices, for example, but what we ultimately need is for governments and institutions to help create and mobilise a better infrastructure for recycling," says El Barshoumi.
Karani, meanwhile, specifically calls out e-commerce businesses for the waste they contribute. “They are one of my biggest eco-guilt contributors. I would highly advise them to look at alternatives to the plastic packaging materials they are using or use recycled packaging where possible.”
The fact is, no one’s perfect, not even Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who in 2019 sailed across the Atlantic to make the point that it’s near impossible for people to live sustainably today without world leaders taking charge and creating new policies.
Whether or not you forgot to turn off your AC off overnight will make little difference in the grand scheme of things. All we can do is try our best.
It's as El Barshoumi puts it: "We should always aspire towards progress, no matter how incremental it is, and not perfection."
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
