Abu Dhabi: The UAE will create 160,000 jobs by 2030 and save billions of dirhams annually by implementing its ‘green growth’ strategy, a workshop in the capital heard on Monday.
The nation will save Dh6.5 billion annually by reducing electricity and water consumption by 30 per cent by 2030. Water footprint reduction by 20 per cent will save Dh25 billion annually by 2030, a senior official said while delivering a speech on behalf of Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water.
Natural gas consumption reduction by 15 per cent, which is equivalent to 42 mega tonnes of oil, will save at least Dh40 billion annually by 2021, Engineer Aisha Al Abdouli, Director of Green Development Department at the ministry, said. By 2030, this saving will increase to Dh376 billion as the reduction of natural gas will rise to 235 million mega tonnes, she said at the third Green Growth Knowledge Sharing Workshop Programme on Monday at the regional office of the Global Green Growth Institute in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.
The two-day event is being organised by the Ministry of Environment and Water in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Global Green Growth Institute .
The two-day workshop complements the UAE’s strategy for green development which has led the country to adopt a framework comprising strategic directions and programmes in line with the UAE Vision 2021. The Vision was inspired by the national programme of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to transform the UAE into one of the world’s most progressive countries by 2021.
The official said the UAE experienced economic, social and environmental development following its adoption of the green economy approach. The UAE responded well to the pressures and challenges that accompanied this development. The green economy approach is in line with the national strategy launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The UAE‘s green strategies and initiatives in recent years include programmes focusing on renewable energy, green architecture, sustainable transport, ecological footprint, and efficient energy and water use.
The official said the cooperation between stakeholders in the government and private sectors and academic and civil societies remains the most important element in the strategy’s success. The transition to a green economy is a shared responsibility.
The workshop is focusing on two main points, namely, ‘Programmes to Transform Into a Green Economy’ and ‘Green Business Models’.
