Energy
The Middle East is one of the fastest growing regions for energy demand. In the World Energy Outlook 2010, International Energy Agency (IEA) projected that energy demand in Middle East will rise by 71% from 2008 to 2035, which is nearly double the world’s average primary energy growth in the same period. In the UAE, electricity demand has risen exponentially during the past 20 years. It increased from 17.1 TWh/year in 1990 to nearly 40 TWh/year in 2000, and then hit 77 TWh/year by 2008 – a quadrupling of demand in just 18 years. At the same time, the consumption of electricity per Capita in UAE reaches 16,165 kWh/year/capita in 2007, which is 19% higher than the average US consumption in the same year. As a consequence, the UAE has the second largest greenhouse gas emissions per capita after Qatar.
To meet the rising electricity demand, the regional governments are actively exploring different sources of energy and electricity. In Abu Dhabi, the government has started a few ambitious initiatives to develop nuclear, solar and hydrogen power. For Dubai, the government recently announced that it aims to produce as much as 20% of its energy needs from clean coal in coming years.
Energy Efficiency
In addition to its fast growing energy demand, the Middle East is the only region with a constant increase in energy intensity. In 2009, both Saudi Arab and UAE are ranked in the Global top 10 for energy intensity of GDP at constant purchasing power parities.
Figure: Energy intensity trends by region, 1980 to 2005.
Source: Realizing the Potential of Energy Efficiency: Targets, Policies, and Measures for G8 Countries, published by United Nations Foundation.
Many GCC governments and organizations have recognized the vast economic and environmental benefits the energy efficiency market offers. In Dubai, the government announced the launch of the Green Building Regulations - Stage II in March 2010. This regulation comprises a new set of guidelines and specifications, to regulate building standards, achieving efficiency in the use of electricity, water and renewable energy, as part of the 'Green Buildings Project.' In Abu Dhabi, a new mandatory green building code was introduced from September 2010. According to this guideline, all new buildings must meet sustainability and urban design requirements to receive approval for construction to begin. This initiative aims to reduce energy bills by 40% in all new homes to be built across the emirate.
Since 2007, Enpark, in association with its internal Sustainable Energy and Environment Division (SEED), have rolled out a series of energy and water conservation programmes. Enpark’s results indicate that there is great potential for energy efficiency policy and technologies in this region. Since 2006 TECOM Business Parks has achieved an electricity savings of 25% by implementing these policies and technologies. For more details, refer to the full report.
Waste Recycling
The total annual volume of solid waste generated in the GCC region in 2009 was around 120 million tonnes, out of which 22.2 million tonnes are household waste.
On average, in 2009, GCC residents produced 1.6 kg of waste per person per day, just slighter low than the 1.9 kg of waste per person per day in the US in 2009. However, the recycling rate in the US was estimated to be 34% while the recyclable recovery rate in GCC is comparatively very low. In the absence of local recycling facilities, there is no alternative except to dump the otherwise recyclable material in landfills. As per 2011, it was estimated that the UAE economy is losing US$ 410 million per year due to inadequate recycling of waste.
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