Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 25, 2016: A delegation from the United Nations Environment Programme visited The Sustainable City in
Dubai, the region’s first
fully integrated and operational sustainable community of its kind. The visit is
part of the United Nations Environment Programme
Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) 2016 roundtable, which is hosted by the Ministry of
Climate Change and Environment.
The delegation visit focused on exploring the Sustainable
City’s shining example in applying the highest environmental, economical, and
social sustainable standards in order to reduce its carbon footprint. The group
observed how the development achieves this through the production and
consumption of clean energy, recycling water and waste, along with other
innovative solutions which create a mini-climate within the city.
Commenting on the occasion, Eng. Faris Saeed,
the CEO of Diamond Developers, the developer of the project, said: “We are committed
to supporting Dubai’s vision of a green economy strategy. We will continue to
develop solutions contributing towards sustainable developments that are
capable of dealing with climate change without wasting natural resources or
impacting on quality of life.”
Faris continued: “The Sustainable City is a
proven successful business model with low risks and high rewards. The
misconception that going sustainable comes with extra costs is 100% false, especially
as using smart and innovative technologies leads to big savings in operational costs,
particularly in relation to water and energy.”
Hussain Hassan Mohamed Khansaheb, Director of
Green Development at The Ministry of Climate Change & Environment, said:
“The UAE has set itself an ambitious target: to reduce reliance on fossil fuels
and transform itself into a knowledge-based, diversified, and innovation-driven
economy. Given the solid global momentum on climate action, the timing for decisive
action could not be more opportune. By gradually shifting to low carbon growth
through its flagship projects such as the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park, the
largest solar power plant in the Middle East and the Sustainable City, the UAE
is setting an example to be followed regionally and internationally.”
The (UNEP
FI) 2016 roundtable assembly will include several ministerial meetings and
sessions that discussed national, regional and international environmental
challenges. The participants also evaluated governments’ ability to
successfully implement the goals of sustainable development.
