Aldar Properties (Aldar) and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) recently co-hosted a real-estate focused National Dialogue for Climate Ambition (NDCA) meeting where 29 real-estate and construction companies from across the UAE signed Aldar and MOCCAE’s Real Estate Climate Pledge (the Pledge).
By signing the Pledge, an initiative co-sponsored by Aldar and MOCCAE, the signatories are supporting the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative through a commitment to publishing their own decarbonisation targets before COP 28, which is taking place in Dubai from 30 November 2023. The NDCA meeting, held under the banner of ‘Decarbonising the Buildings Sector’, was the ninth sector-focused gathering organised as part of a programme of events to support the UAE’s Net Zero strategy. The event was held at Aldar Square, the company’s headquarters on Yas Island.
The 29 companies that signed the pledge specialise in design and consultancy, engineering, manufacturing, construction, energy services, and facilities services. As well as announcing decarbonisation targets, the signatories will collaborate and share experience and best practices to find ways to reduce emissions across the real estate and construction sectors’ value chain. They will also share data to help improve carbon emissions accounting and reporting throughout the lifecycle of a real estate asset.
Talal Al Dhiyebi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Aldar, said, “We are encouraged by the strong response to Aldar and MOCCAE’s Real Estate Climate Pledge, a testament to the resolve of our sector to decarbonise and the impact NDCA has had in fostering dialogue on climate action. The real estate sector is a large contributor to the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, so accelerating the transition to low-carbon materials, adopting green construction methods and using energy more efficiently will be crucial to help us reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. With 2023 designated as the Year of Sustainability and COP 28 just around the corner, sustainable development has never been more in focus in the UAE. As such, we encourage all companies working across the real estate and construction value chain to join the pledge in support of the nation’s net-zero targets.”
Essa Abdulrahman Al Hashmi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Sustainable Communities Sector and Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for Green Development & Climate Change Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said, “As this is the year of sustainability, and the year the UAE is preparing to assume the Presidency of COP28 in November, the NDCA takes a participatory approach to raising sectoral climate ambitions. This nationwide open dialogue aims to tackle the complex challenge of decarbonising key sectors, and its outcomes will inform the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative. The Real Estate Climate Pledge complements our UAE Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge, which we launched last year at the 4th NDCA and have seen the joining of 62 entities so far. These pledges will help the UAE government engage with entities that are keen to make an active contribution to our climate neutrality movement and align their efforts to achieve our common objective.”
The 29 companies to sign the pledge are: The Sustainable City, KEO International Consultants, Khatib & Alami, the National Engineering Bureau, Altorath International Engineering Consultants, Mott MacDonald, GHD, iBuild Construction, United Engineering Construction (UNEC), Nayel & Bin Harmal, Tristar Engineering & Construction, Fibrex Construction Group, Alec Engineering and Contracting LLC, Siemens, Enova, Pactive Sustainable Solutions, Emirates Steel Arkan, Hydro, Readymix Abu Dhabi, Provis, Khidmah, Adeeb Group, Al Ghurair Facilities Solutions, ServeU, Basatin Landscaping LLC, Spark Security Services, RECAPP, EFS Facilities Services, and Beeah Group.
The NDCA is a platform launched by MOCCAE to define and advance the ‘UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative’ and support the UAE’s international climate commitments, including the Paris Agreement. NDCA aims to provide policy recommendations for supporting the net-zero transition and the UAE’s commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050. The ninth NDCA meeting attracted key stakeholders across the real estate’s value chain, including developers and designers, suppliers, contractors, regulators, utilities providers, energy service companies and financial institutions.
As co-host and one of the UAE’s largest real estate developers and managers, Aldar brought key players in the sector to discuss the challenges and opportunities for decarbonising the real estate sector. The event included roundtable discussions on the transition to supply chain and market readiness and maturity for low-carbon buildings, green construction, and decarbonising the existing buildings.
