Boost for UAE's net zero emissions initiative as 21 companies sign new pledge

Strata, HSBC and Majid Al Futtaim back move to boost the private sector's contribution to the country's decarbonisation efforts

Launch of UAE Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge. Wam

The Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment has unveiled the UAE Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge to increase the engagement of the private sector in the country’s decarbonisation drive.

The pledge is in line with the UAE Net Zero 2050 Strategic Initiative and forms the basis of future collaboration between the private sector, NGOs and international organisations, in association with strategic partner, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The launch took place as part of the fourth stage of the National Dialogue for Climate Ambition (NDCA) under the theme “Road map to achieve net zero in the hospitality sector".

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, said that the pledge would help the UAE government to “engage with entities that are keen to make an active contribution to our climate neutrality movement, and align their efforts to achieve our common objective”.

Twenty-one companies from key sectors joined the pledge.

They are Majid Al Futtaim Group, Strata, Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC, Masdar, Sharjah environmental management company Beeah, Emerson, Emirates Nature-WWF, Emirates Global Aluminium, Emirates Steel Arkan Group, Aldar Properties, Emirates Environmental Group, Yahsat, the Chalhoub Group, Pure Harvest, AESG, Taka Solutions, Lafarge Emirates Cement, EY, EV Lab and TotalEnergies.

The third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. Photo: Masdar

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Sheikh Mohammed at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Wam

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister for Food Security, speaks at the World Food Programme Stop the Waste campaign at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National

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The UAE pavilion at the Cop26 summit in Scotland. Ashraf Helmi / The National

Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. Andrew Henderson / The National

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An aerial view of the Qurum Walkway in Jubail Mangrove Park. The UAE is doing everything it can to tackle climate change, from limiting greenhouse gas emissions to planting more mangroves. Wam

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The eco-green technologies research site at Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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The companies committed to adopt measures to intensify their collective efforts to combat climate change.

They will achieve this by measuring and reporting their greenhouse gas emissions, drafting science-based plans to reduce their carbon footprint and sharing these plans with the UAE government to help it achieve the national net zero target by 2050.

The pledge is a ministry initiative to scale up the UAE’s climate action, in line with the Glasgow Climate Pact, an outcome of the Cop26 climate conference, that requires countries to adopt higher greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.