The Living Planet Report 2006 brought the grim news that the UAE had the highest per capita Footprint in the world. It's a ranking that we still maintain. At its simplest and starkest, it means we're consumers food, fibre, energy and other goods and services at a faster rate than the planet earth can naturally absorb and support. This lifestyle is not sustainable in the long term, particularly as the country’s population grows.
The Government has gone to great lengths to understand the concept, how it is calculated, and to vigorously search and employ options for reducing the UAE Footprint.
As part of this, the Al Basma al Beeiya (Ecological Footprint) Initiative was launched in October 2007. Under the patronage of the Ministry of Environment and Water, its partners include the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW), the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), the Emirates Wildlife Society – WWF and the Global Footprint Network.
The Initiative is working in four main areas:
- Data collection and verification to work towards a representative and robust UAE Footprint
- Science and research into understanding the main drivers of our high Footprint
- Policy analysis to work towards managing the UAE Footprint at a sustainable level
- Long term commitment to the use of sustainability tools such as the Ecological Footprint in decision making
- Awareness and outreach among all sectors of society to help motivate immediate and lasting changes in UAE consumption.
