Abu Dhabi Week goes ‘green’ as one of the world’s biggest environmental events kicks off in the capital
Abu Dhabi is counting down to its hosting of the largest environmental technology gathering ever to take place in the Middle East.
Organised by local renewable energy company, Masdar, more than 30,000 attendees from 150 countries will be in the capital for the first-ever Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).
Delegates will include recognised leaders from government, the private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and students and will be in the UAE capital for five headline conferences and events from Sunday 13th January to Thursday 17th January, under the ADSW umbrella.
ADSW is built around the Awards Ceremony for the Zayed Future Energy Prize as well as the highly successful and influential World Future Energy Summit (WFES).
Both events are celebrating their fifth and sixth editions respectively and will, this year, be held alongside the inaugural International Water Summit (IWS); The Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); as well as the International Renewable Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s considered the foremost meeting place in the world for policy, business and finance,” says Naji El Haddad, WFES show director. “The summit is unique in bringing together all these different elements in the advancement for renewable energy and the deployment of green energy.”
Besides offering a platform for topics, speakers and panels in global policy, technology and business, the summit offers participants networking opportunities – from heads of state to students seeking a career in clean energy.
“Our exhibition has grown to include 650 exhibiting companies from 40 countries with 20 countries establishing their own national pavilions with their own flag. This was all booked out two months before the event,” says El Haddad.
Abu Dhabi takes the lead
Abu Dhabi taking the lead in sustainability should not be a surprise to anyone. The success of WFES in particular reflects the Emirate’s committment to a renewable energy target of seven percent by 2020.
El Haddad notes that while Abu Dhabi remains the sixth biggest oil producer in the world, the long-term vision of its leaders is focused towards green sustainable energy. “Most GCC economies are based on oil,” El Haddad says, “it’s a finite resource. Wind and sun, however, have no end and we’ve abundant supplies.
“Energy efficiency can save us up to 50 percent of the cost of producing our energy if we take care of using our energy efficiently, without affecting our daily lives,” says El Haddad.
Water and energy
Peter McConnell, the show director of the first-ever International Water Summit (IWS) agrees. He argues that water in particular needs an infrastructure of investment and technology.
Sustainability Week highlights both energy and water as a nexus and McConnell insists “an optimal integration of water and energy policy” is essential.
“The thing about water is you can’t create fresh drinking water without energy, so if you’re going to try and solve the issue of sustainable water, you also need to solve the issue of sustainable energy.
“It needs to all sit together and make sense as a coherent solution,” he says.
Although the UAE is right at the top of the water usage per-capita charts, the nation has made much progress in water capture, treatment and reuse.
McConnell says educating people and business leaders is an important step as well as investing in new technologies to diversify the nation’s economy.
“Broadly speaking the UAE is in a very good place – we don’t have much leakage in our water infrastructure but its something we need to continue to invest in,” he says.
Naji El Haddad reflects that both the WFES and IWS are ideal platforms for sharing knowledge and expertise.
When it comes to water and energy, you can’t address one without addressing the other,” says El Haddad.
“Sustainability is no longer an accessory – it’s a need.”
The Zayed Future Energy Prize Awards Ceremony
Some of the biggest names in global conservation will be judging a major part of this year’s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week – The Zayed Future Energy Prize. Inspired by the environmental legacy and vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the award seeks to empower and recognise the world’s most gifted and pioneering innovators of clean, renewable and sustainable energy. The President of Iceland, a former Prime Minister of South Korea and Hollywood hotshot and green activist, Leonardo DiCaprio are just some of the notable figures who are on this year’s esteemed jury.
The awards ceremony, now in its fifth year, will take place on 15th January at Emirates Palace, and will include submissions from large corporations, SMEs (small and medium enterprises), and NGOs, which have provided cutting-edge solutions.
Educational institutions will be competing for the Global High Schools’ prize in which $100,000 will be awarded to the best high school projects in each of five major regions: the Americas, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Asia. Meanwhile, a Lifetime Achievement Award will be recognised from a group of nominees drawn from the world of academia, politics, technology or business, for their outstanding record in the renewable or sustainability sectors.
City of the future
Abu Dhabi Week caught up with Dr Nawal Al Hosany, director of sustainability, at Masdar, to talk about the capital’s progress and its challenges in meeting its sustainability targets.
What are the main challenges Abu Dhabi faces in terms of sustainable development?
Abu Dhabi is taking several steps to ensure its sustainable development by addressing matters such as water scarcity, economic diversification and human capital development. At Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, sustainability and renewable energy leaders from around the world will discuss these and other issues.
How has Abu Dhabi progressed in its sustainability initiatives?
We have made significant sustainability achievements in a number of areas. In energy, Abu Dhabi has set a requirement of seven percent renewable energy generation capacity by 2020. Additionally, the Shams 1 Concentrated Solar Project – a 100-megawatt project that will deliver clean energy to more than 20,000 homes and reduce CO2 emissions by 175,000 tonnes per year – is near completion. Abu Dhabi’s zero gas-flaring policy is greatly reducing carbon emissions as well.
What solutions does Masdar offer?
Masdar has taken strong and significant steps towards sustainable energy and sustainability and no other company comes close to offering solutions that are so holistic. From research and development, to investment to practical application and building, Masdar continues to gain international expertise through our work on groundbreaking international renewable energy projects. world’s largest offshore wind farm.
Do you know of a model that Abu Dhabi needs to follow in order to become the world’s leading green city of the future?
The most sustainable cities in the world are Vancouver, San Francisco, Barcelona and Copenhagen. Abu Dhabi is taking significant steps towards joining their ranks through its ambitious public transportation strategy and green building code; the development of Masdar City, which is powered entirely by renewable energy; all are factors recognised by the internatinalal community when it chose Abu Dhabi to host the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Tristan Mulhall
