Expo 2020 Dubai: Sustainability Pavilion receives more than 50,000 visitors

The huge eco-friendly structure is the first to open to the public

An outside view of the Sustainability pavilion which features large “energy trees” in the shape of sunflowers are spread throughout the area and also distribute power. These rotate throughout the day to track and store sunlight

The sprawling Expo 2020 site is prepared to welcome the world later this year

A butterfly finds himself at home in the Sustainability pavilion

Sustainability is one of the expo’s key themes and aims to raise awareness of human impact on the environment

The Sustainability pavilion is set to whet the appetite of visitors ahead of the grand opening of Expo 2020 Dubai in October. All pictures by Pawan Singh / The National

Reem Al Hashimy, director general of Expo 2020 Dubai and Minister of State for International Co-operation, unveils the spectacular Sustainability pavilion

The underground forest zone helps bring nature to life

Inside the Sustainability pavilion. The pavilion covers 6,300 square metres of the expo site and is entirely operated from solar energy and recycled water

The Sustainability pavilion boasts an interactive “underground forest” and “underground ocean” to raise awareness on the negative impact humans have on to the planet

Visitors to the Sustainability pavilion can see how human consumption of daily items, such as meat, fashion items and paper, is harming the environment and leading to climate change

A striking bat decoration is just one of the eye-catching sights on show

The Sustainability pavilion includes consumption halls, which demonstrate how humankind has impacted the environment

The Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has had more than 50,000 visitors since it opened to the public on January 22.

Visitors pledged to  make better choices, protect the world's resources and conserve energy.

The massive canopy, also called Terra, is covered by 1,055 solar panels to generate electricity and is designed to convince residents and tourists to change their consumption habits to save the planet.

Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, said the message hit home with the thousands of people who toured Terra.

“So far, we have welcomed more than 50,000 visitors to Terra, and we’ve been asking them what impact this unique experience might have on their everyday behaviour,” she said.

“To our delightful surprise, almost 97 per cent of all visitors confirmed that they will change their behaviour and be more cognisant of the fragile environment in which we live.”

Ms Al Hashimy, who is also director general of Expo 2020 Dubai, spoke on Tuesday at Global Goals, an online, Expo-led call to action bringing policymakers and the public together to tackle global challenges.

She said another structure, the Opportunity Pavilion, would show how one person  could be an agent of change.

“Titled Mission: Possible, the pavilion experience imagines a world in which our finite resources might be turned to infinite uses, through smart and innovative solutions,” she said.

The three themed pavilions – Sustainability, Opportunity and Mobility – are intended to help visitors understand how to reach the UN's 2030 goals for a better future for all.

“While Covid-19 set us back from our pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, it has also reinforced their necessity, and their urgency,” Ms Al Hashimy said.

“We need to start doing things differently and we need to start right now.”

Ms Al Hashimy also spoke of how the UAE was one of the world's largest donors of development aid and at the forefront of coronavirus vaccine delivery and logistics.

She spoke on the importance of collaboration, inclusion and how countries could build partnerships when the six-month Expo opens later this year.

“This principle will underpin our gathering at Expo 2020 Dubai in October,” Ms Al Hashimy said.

“More than 200 nations and international organisations, and millions of visitors, will convene at a site that is effectively a city of the future, today.”