Dubai: Buildings account for the lions' share of the degradation of our resources, said a leading environment official.
He said it is important to make them a priority area to address and apply environmental standards.
Speaking at the inauguration of the first platinum-rated green-building yesterday in the UAE, Sandy Wiggins, chairman of the US Green Buildings Council (USBCG) said green buildings is a real business that will change part of our lives.
The Pacific Controls headquarters is paving the way for environmentally friendly structures in the UAE as the first green building in the Middle East and the sixteenth in the world.
The headquarters at Dubai's Techno Park is extremely energy efficient as it emits no greenhouse gas emissions. It is accredited by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) programme.
Water efficiency
The environmentally-friendly, or green building was inaugurated by Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of state for Cabinet Affairs, in the presence of Sandy Wiggins, chairman of USGBC and members of the Emirates Green Building Council and environmentalists.
Speaking to Gulf News, Wiggins said the building is a significant accomplishment and has met all criteria for full water efficiency.
"Water is the most valuable resource in the UAE and by filling these criteria the building has reduced its water consumption by half," he said.
Dilip Rahulan, chairman and chief executive of Pacific Controls announced that he will next be attempting to build the world's first living building in the world.
"It will be in the adjacent plot and will be a model for the whole world, acting like a flower, taking energy from the sun it will be a sustainable structure employing technology and integrating elements from solar power and wind energy," he said.
"It will be a total evolution and in a different class because it will be totally autonomous," he added.
As part of the inauguration event of its headquarters, Pacific Controls launched a document on Technology for Sustainable Development.
According to Wiggins forty per cent of renovation and building waste ends up in landfills whilst buildings consume forty per cent of the world's energy.
The Pacific Control building achieved LEED certification from the USGBC, by accumulating a total of 55 points, a Platinum rating, and the first ever accrued to date for any newly constructed building in UAE seeking such a certification.
Abu Dhabi A conference related to the launch of the Global Environment Outlook 4 (GEO-4) will open today at the Abu Dhabi Women's College.
The conference is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister.
GEO is UNEP's flagship report on the state and trends of the global environment. The reports contain global and regional assessment of key environmental issues and associated policy responses, as well as a forward looking analysis of environmental challenges.
GEO-4, the fourth volume to be published, comes twenty years after the publication of the Brundtland Commission's report, "Our Common Future."
Climate change
Organised by The Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, the GEO4 launch is involving the Ministry of Environment and Water of the UAE, the, UNIC, and UNEP under the theme of "Climate Change: the most critical environmental challenge that face the world."
The report reveals that climate change and what results from global catastrophes are prominent environmental challenges that face the world these days.
