Page 4 - Sustainablility in the UAE_Neat

Sustainability in

the UAE

TThe UAE is the fifth largest producer of oil in the world and currently relies on 98% of
its overall power from fossil fuels. In 2012, the air quality in the UAE was one of the worst

in the world (Medetarian Conferences Organizing) and it was due to the mass amount of
man made air pollutants in the atmosphere. These air pollutants negatively impacted the
health of the residents of the UAE. Owing to carbon emissions in the atmosphere, people
in the UAE have increased risk of hospitalization and death due to pneumonia and COPD
(Medetarian Conferences Organizing). According to an article by the Department of
Environmental Protection, air pollutants can cause major environmental damage, such as
some forms of smog, haze and crop and forest damage.This is why the UAE decided to
take a very drastic switch on their view on the energy balance in the UAE and start

developing different forms of sustainable energy. According to the “Vision of 2021”,
government website, the UAE’s 98 - 2 energy balance between fossil fuels and renewable
energy will be dropped down by a large margin, as the government aims to rely on fossil
fuels for 91% of the overall power in the UAE by 2021. The government has also stated in
their 2050 energy plan, that by 2050 they would like to have a 75 - 25 balance between

sustainable energy and fossil fuels. But in order to achieve their goal, the government of
the UAE have taken measures towards sustainability in order to fulfill their agreement to
the Paris Contract, and to improve the living condition and air quality for residents in the
UAE.