Dubai: The Emirates Green Development Council met for the first time on Sunday to complete the country’s transition into transforming the national economy into a low-carbon economy by “greening” the domestic economic sectors.

A country with a green economy operates on renewable resources such as wind and solar energy, resulting in a society and businesses with zero carbon emissions. This is the exact opposite of the traditional “black” energy economy that is dependent on carbon-intensive fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum.

The council was formed as per Ministerial Decree No 319 of 2015, which comes in line with the UAE’s efforts to implement a green economy approach through the UAE’s Strategy for Green Development.

The council is composed of representatives from different federal agencies and local authorities.

“This council will be the body that will oversee the implementation and monitor the progress to achieve the KPIs [Key Performance Indicators] of the government to achieve the Green Growth strategy,” Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, told Gulf News.

The UAE Green Growth Strategy is a long-term national initiative that aims to enhance the country’s competitiveness and development without compromising its impact on the environment.

The strategy focuses on six aspects: energy, investment, city, climate change, life, and technologies. This includes reducing flaring of natural gas from the oil and gas industry, constructing the Mohammad Bin Rashid Solar Park, installing the region’s first onshore wind farm, greening buildings and some factories, among others, based on the first UAE State of Green Economy Report.

The UAE’s gains on a green economy are projected to include a reduced domestic consumption of oil by 7 to 10 per cent per year, natural gas by 7 to 20 per cent and electricity by 11 to 15 per cent through 2030. This will result in reduced carbon emissions of between 18 and 25 per cent between 2013 and 2030.

Greening the economy is also expected to create 139,000-165,000 new jobs.