There is a natural tendency for us to assume that the biggest consumers - and therefore the people who should take most responsibility - are governments and "Big Businesses”. As the footprint is a measure at the point of consumption, it is not surprising that UAE households are actually the greatest contributors to the Footprint at 57%. Simply through our daily use of energy, food, housing, transport, goods and services, we are the ones who place the greatest pressure on our natural resources. While it is true that the industries producing these goods and services (eg. Power stations, car manufacturers) also need to work harder to provide us with less footprint intensive products, it is important to remember that we also have a role to play to ensure that we reduce wasteful consumption and choose more sustainable products.
The largest part of our footprint (83%) is related to our consumption of carbon intensive goods and services, such as electricity and desalinated water.These may be shocking statistics, but there's a very positive aspect:
if it's ordinary people like us who are causing most of the problem, it's ordinary people like us who can do the most to resolve it.
We simply need to start being more conscious in our day to day lives, to think about how much we're consuming, and to use the tips found on this website to cut down our individual Footprints where we can. More than that, we have to be part of a collaboration across all levels of UAE society: the Government, the Private Sector and individuals to meet the Footprint challenge.
So please take a look at the energy-saving and water-saving tips on this website- and let's get to work!
