Adopted a strategy that includes transportation, buildings, facilities and waste management

RTA turns its activities and facilities to zero emissions in 2050

  • Mattar Al Tayer: "The new strategy includes the implementation of 10 initiatives, whose responsibilities are distributed among the authority's sectors and institutions."

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Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has adopted a zero-emission public transport strategy in the Emirate of Dubai 2050, to be the first entity in the Middle East to develop a long-term strategy to shift towards net-zero public transport by 2050, through which it aims to reduce the negative impact of climate change and reduce the carbon footprint in all its activities, according to three axes: Public transport, buildings and facilities, and waste management.

This strategy coincides with the UAE's preparations to host COP28 and coincides with its endeavors to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and move from pledges to achievements, and comes within the framework of the RTA's efforts to raise levels of maturity in the field of sustainability in roads and transport, achieve global leadership in easy and sustainable mobility, enhance the resilience of public transport infrastructure and its impact on climate change, as well as keep pace with the country's relentless efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and move from pledges to achievements.

DEWA's new strategy is in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to strengthen the emirate's position as one of the largest urban economies in the world, and aims to achieve many achievements during its years of implementation, including converting all taxis, limousines and public buses to zero emissions, creating highly energy-efficient buildings (close to zero), saving energy from clean sources and "zero" municipal waste to landfill, and reducing 10 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. As well as achieving financial savings equivalent to AED 3.3 billion compared to the usual working style.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of DEWA's Board of Directors, stressed that the new strategy is an integrated sustainability plan at DEWA to achieve the strategic goal of enhancing sustainability and reducing carbon dioxide emissions, as well as achieving its mission to reach global leadership in easy and sustainable mobility through an innovative road and transport system and services that elevate the customer experience to the global level.

He said that the new strategy includes the implementation of 10 initiatives, whose responsibilities were distributed among the sectors and institutions of the authority, as well as partnership with the private sector to implement the strategy over periods of five years, and review future goals and adjust them according to variables.

He added that the new strategy, implemented under the name of "Zero Emission Public Transport in the Emirate of Dubai 2050", is in line with the global, national and local trends of the country, related to the environment and its protection, such as the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and national trends such as the National Initiative for Climate Neutrality, the UAE Green Development Agenda 2030, the National Climate Change Plan 2050, and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050.

Al Tayer added that the strategy is also linked to local trends, such as the Carbon 2030 Reduction Strategy, the Clean Energy Strategy 2050, the Demand Side Management Strategy 2030, the Dubai Waste Management Plan, the Emirate's Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, and other strategies, agreements and initiatives in this regard.

DEWA's Board of Directors discussed a number of points, opportunities and challenges related to the new strategy and its implementation, such as the cost associated with new green technologies, the distribution and review of targets over time periods, the importance of the availability of energy technology providers, especially for electric buses and hydrogen fuel production stations, and other points that contribute to the implementation of the new strategy.

The new strategy sets the target ratios to be achieved in the coming years to reach net "zero" emissions by 2050 in the three axes (green mass transport, buildings and facilities, waste management), and to convert 10% of public transport buses to electric and hydrogen buses by 2030, to reach 20% in 2035 and increase to 40% in 2040 and reach 80% in 2045 to complete the percentage 100% by 2050, as well as converting taxis and limousines in the emirate to electric and hydrogen vehicles by 30% by 2030 to reach 50% in 2035 and 100% by 2040.

With regard to converting Dubai Taxi Corporation's school buses into electric and hydrogen buses, the plan aims to convert 10% of these buses by 2030 to reach 30% in 2035, 50% in 2040 and 80% in 2045, with 100% conversion completed by 2050.

The strategy includes the rehabilitation of DEWA's buildings and facilities, with the installation of a solar cell system on 24 DEWA's buildings and facilities before 2025, and the expansion of the scope of application to all other buildings and facilities according to feasibility studies, while the plan targets 74% of the preparation and rehabilitation of buildings by 2030 to reach 83% by 2035 and 100% by 2045, while the new buildings will have near zero capacity, starting from 2025. The lighting of existing roads will be rehabilitated to be 100% energy efficient and will continue to apply to all new projects.

Programs will be implemented targeting the reuse and recycling of municipal waste 100% by 2030, thus achieving the target of zero municipal waste to landfills, as well as recycling and using water in DEWA's buildings and facilities to reach 40% by 2050.

It is noteworthy that the RTA has made great achievements in the field of sustainability, as energy and green economy initiatives since 2014 and 2022 have contributed to achieving electricity savings of nearly 360 GWh and saving water about 300 million gallons, about 88 million liters of gasoline as well as 10 million liters of diesel, which is equivalent to avoiding 416,420 tons of emission equivalent, and achieving savings of about AED <> million.

• The strategy coincides with the UAE's preparations to host COP28 and aligns with its efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.