UAE leads the way to a better environment

In my latest visit to Dubai, I was impressed with the emirate's new landmarks and fascinating achievements. My visit coincided with the opening of seven new Metro stations — another success story to be added to the emirate's rich record of accomplishments.

The opening of new Metro stations will help reduce traffic congestion in the emirate and increase the number of Metro passengers from 80,000 to 140,000 a day.

Once all the stations open, the number of passengers is expected to increase significantly.

The success of the Metro will undoubtedly go a long way in contributing to the environmental friendliness of the emirate, which aims to gradually replace fossil energy with clean, renewable energy, thereby preserving the environment and curbing pollution.

Travel by train seems to be the best choice as it enables people to avoid the ordeal of traffic snarls and the associated psychological stress and strain of commuting.

The Metro is also a convenient and less costly form of transport. This is why Dubai, which already boasts world-class road networks and infrastructure, is encouraging more people to make use of public transport. The provision of healthier, speedier and more frequent travel options such as buses and trains can make a big difference to residents' lives.

The Metro was not the only thing that made me feel happy and proud of this city. The hotel in which I stayed had recently switched to using solar energy to generate electricity.

The adoption of environmentally friendly initiatives shows that Dubai and the UAE as a whole are on the threshold of a new era of clean and renewable energy in line with a strategic decision taken by the leadership.

In the light of the growing threat posed by global warming, the UAE is determined to produce seven per cent of its electricity from clean energy resources by 2020.

Model city

The UAE has adopted many green initiatives, including the construction of the $22 billion (Dh80.9 billion) Masdar City. Located in Abu Dhabi, the world's first carbon-neutral, zero-waste city is home to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).

Masdar City, which is still under construction, aims to become the world's most sustainable urban development powered by renewable energy. This city positions the UAE at the forefront of countries racing towards the goal of converting to clean and renewable energy, paving the way for economic and social development.

Arab countries are well positioned to make use of renewable energy resources in the interest of their development programmes and needs. With plentiful sunshine and vast desert areas in which temperatures reach 50 degrees Celsius, solar energy is an ideal choice.

Helene Pelosse, director-general of Irena, has expressed her optimism over the potential of solar energy in the region. The UAE and other Gulf countries could eventually export solar energy to countries in cooler regions.

In an interview with Gulf News, Pelosse said, "The potential for this region is huge, with each square kilometre of land receiving every year an amount of solar energy that is equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of crude oil".

This fact broadens the horizons of Arab countries, especially those that are oil importers. They could use the revenue generated to make better use of their waste land through land reclamation and planting trees. They could also benefit from harnessing wind power.

Arab countries have many other options, including the setting up of solar energy-reliant water-desalination plants.

No doubt, the adoption of clean and renewable energy will greatly contribute to preserving the environment and increasing the living standards of millions of people across the world.

According to a report by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, about 1.6 billion people are living without electricity, while two to three billion are burning fuel such as firewood, which affects their health. Such people need cheap energy to improve their living conditions.

Needless to say, the world has witnessed a series of environmental disasters, the most recent of which is the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Given this, countries all over the world need to look for alternative energy sources to save this planet from ruin.

Converting to alternative sources of clean and renewable energy has become a must due to the harmful effects of conventional energy and the increasing threat of global warming and pollution.

However, the shift towards clean energy will be a long and gradual process, similar to the process of switching from coal to oil in the past century.

Nevertheless, the time is ripe to switch to alternative energies and the UAE has taken the lead in this field.

Dr Mohammad Hussain Al Yusefi teaches at Kuwait University.