Transport Tunisia offers cash bonus to switch to electric vehicles Motorists in Tunisia are being offered bonuses of TD10,000 ($3,200) per car to make the switch to electric vehicles as the government looks to accelerate its sustainability efforts. A survey carried out by Tunisia’s Environment Ministry said that reaching 50,000 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2025 and 130,000 by 2030 will save 2.2 million tonnes of […] June 1, 2023
Sustainability EVs will make up 50% of cars on UAE roads by 2050 The UAE seeks to increase the share of electric vehicles (EVs) to 50 percent of total cars on its roads by 2050 in a bid to drive green mobility, said minister of energy and infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei. “We seek to create a conducive environment for the growth of the EV market in the UAE […] May 31, 2023
Aviation Qatar Airways CEO calls for realism over net-zero targets The CEO of Qatar Airways has said the lack of readily available aviation fuel alternatives will throw the industry’s goals of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 into doubt. Akbar Al Baker is a long-standing critic of suppliers of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), labelling it “exorbitantly expensive” and claiming it’s only available in low volumes “because […] May 24, 2023
Sustainability Investcorp completes first control buyout in China Bahrain’s alternative investment firm Investcorp has acquired a controlling stake in Shandong Jianuo Electronics Co. Ltd. (Jianuo), a Chinese renewable energy critical components manufacturer. Operating out of the Shandong province and China’s Greater Bay area, Jianuo produces specialty premium components used in high-end applications such as electric vehicles power management, battery charging infrastructure, solar and wind […] May 21, 2023
Sustainability Dubai’s first biogas-to-energy plant boosts climate targets Dubai Municipality has completed its first biogas-to-energy project at its Warsan wastewater treatment plant as part of its renewable energy initiatives. The project was developed through a public-private partnership between Dubai Municipality and French water and waste management group Veolia, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported. Dubai’s sewerage system will support the plant, as the network […] May 19, 2023
Masdar and Airbus combine on aviation decarbonisation Masdar will collaborate with Airbus on sustainable aviation fuels as the UAE clean energy giant and Europe’s largest airplane maker aim to decarbonise the industry. The companies have signed an agreement to work on green hydrogen and direct air capture technologies which, when combined, can produce synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF remains limited in […] May 16, 2023
Opinion Energy Time to deploy the ‘silver bullet’ against climate change There is a solution ready to hand in the global warming challenge – technology May 15, 2023
Sustainability Emirates sets up $200m fund to lower impact of fossil fuels Dubai-based Emirates has allocated $200 million for research and development (R&D) projects focussed on lowering the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation. The move is the biggest single commitment by any airline on sustainability, with funds to be disbursed over three years, the airline said in a statement. Emirates will sign partnerships with top organisations […] May 11, 2023
Sustainability UAE and US climate-smart farming fund grows to $13bn The UAE and the US have increased investment in climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation to more than $13 billion, said US secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. The investments have exceeded the challenge by US special envoy for climate John Kerry at Cop27 to achieve $10 billion by Cop28, Vilsack told the Agriculture Innovation Mission for […] May 9, 2023
Sustainability Abu Dhabi receives 2 bids for waste-to-energy project State-owned Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) and Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company (Tadweer), the waste management company for Abu Dhabi, have received proposals for the development of the greenfield Abu Dhabi waste-to-energy independent power project (IPP). The proposals were received from a Japan-based consortium comprised of Marubeni Corporation, Hitachi Zosen Inova AG and Japan […] May 5, 2023
Opinion Agriculture Lengthy war in Sudan could jeopardise Gulf food security Sudan’s now-protracted conflict could have ongoing and unforeseen consequences, not only for the war-ravaged African state, but for its trade connections, including the GCC As Sudan’s warring militaries – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – battle for supremacy, catastrophic damage is being wrought on the nation’s already rundown infrastructure and utility […] May 4, 2023
Video length: 02:33 VIDEO Aviation Clark: Sustainable fuel on long haul flights is miles off Long-haul flights using anything but fossil fuels are currently impossible, according to Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airline. “You will not fly an A380 to Los Angeles with 500 passengers on board, burning 200 tons of fuel, on anything other than fossil fuels for the time being. It won’t happen,” Sir Tim Clark told […] May 4, 2023
Sustainability Turkey’s $1bn solar plant to cut $450m fossil fuel use Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan has inaugurated Europe’s biggest solar power plant built on a single site. “Turkey will no longer be a country in need of energy resources, but will rather be capable of energy export,” he said. Developed by Kalyon Energy, an affiliate of Kalyon Holding, the plant in the central province of Konya has […] May 3, 2023
Tourism Sustainability looms large at Arabian Travel Market 2023 Ahead of Dubai hosting one of the world’s largest travel conferences, key stakeholders in the emirate’s travel and hospitality industry have been keen to stress its sustainability credentials. Centred on the theme Working Towards Net Zero, this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) on May 1 to May 4 is expected to draw in 34,000 attendees […] May 1, 2023
Sustainability Dubai taxi franchise adds 269 Tesla cars to meet green goals Arabia Taxi Dubai, a subsidiary of UAE-based Economic Group Holdings, has signed an agreement with Tesla Motors Dubai to add 269 ‘Model 3’ cars to its taxi fleet this month. The move is in line with the strategy of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to convert taxi vehicles into 100 percent environmentally friendly – […] April 25, 2023
Opinion Cop28 How Egypt can address its water challenges Egypt must bring in the private sector to help solve its water issues April 19, 2023
Sustainability Germany sees chance of fossil fuel phase-out deal at Cop28 Germany sees “a chance” that a deal to accelerate phasing out fossil fuels – similar to the one reached over the weekend by the Group of Seven rich nations – could be agreed at this year’s UN climate summit in Dubai, a senior government official has said. In the joint statement at their meeting in […] April 19, 2023
Cop28 UK-UAE deal to roll out ‘miracle material’ graphene A University of Manchester company has forged a $1 billion partnership in the UAE to spearhead the drive to commercialise graphene, the “miracle material” that’s stronger than diamond, more conductive than copper and more flexible than rubber. Graphene Innovations Manchester (GIM) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Quazar Investment Company to set up the […] April 19, 2023
Sustainability Qatar cut emissions by 9,000 tonnes at World Cup Qatar cut carbon emissions by approximately 9,000 tons by powering temporary facilities at FIFA World Cup stadiums and precincts directly from the national grid instead of using diesel generators. The move involved seven of the eight Qatar 2022 stadiums and was overseen by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), Fifa and Qatar General […] April 17, 2023
Opinion Sustainability Al Jaber reveals why he’s right choice to lead Cop28 Conference host chooses to give first interview to critics April 13, 2023
Sustainability Egypt to fund green projects in Suez Canal economic zone Egypt will fund environmental projects of local companies in the Suez Canal Economic Zone to drive sustainability and reduce carbon footprint. The move by the Ministry of Environment aims to support Egyptian companies to become more efficient, decrease energy and resource consumption and comply with national and global environmental standards, Ahram Online newspaper reported, citing […] April 13, 2023
Energy Masdar powers US ops with battery project stake UAE clean energy firm Masdar has expanded its presence in the US renewables market with the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in a combined solar and battery storage project from EDF Renewables North America. The Big Beau in California comprises a 128mw photovoltaic solar plant and a 40mw/160 mwh battery energy storage system. The […] April 12, 2023
