Carbon dioxide emissions across Abu Dhabi have fallen by 42.5 million metric tonnes against 2016 levels, the head of the emirate’s energy authority said, pointing to the figure as evidence of progress toward a lower-emissions economy.
Dr Abdulla Humaid Saif Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy (DoE), released the assessment in remarks tied to World Environment Day. He framed environmental sustainability as a core component of broader development and a force behind the creation of economies that are more efficient, resilient and durable.
Looking ahead, the emirate has set targets to slash emissions intensity per megawatt-hour by 75 percent and to source 60 percent of its electricity from clean and renewable supplies by 2035 — benchmarks Al Jarwan tied to the UAE’s wider climate neutrality ambitions.
A separate plank of the strategy, the Demand Side Management and Energy Rationalisation Strategy (DSM 2030), sets out to trim electricity use by 22 percent and water consumption by 32 percent before the decade closes. According to the DoE, those reductions translate to roughly 19 terawatt-hours of electricity and 485 million cubic metres of water saved.
Al Jarwan argued that tackling environmental pressures demands a joined-up method: lifting resource efficiency, deploying advanced technologies, and shaping energy, water and infrastructure systems so they raise living standards while safeguarding natural resources for those who come later. He placed particular weight on innovation, saying that folding artificial intelligence, robotics and digital tools into operations sharpens efficiency, hardens resilience and produces better decisions about critical infrastructure.
The emirate runs its energy and water sectors through a unified framework anchored in governance and forward planning, he said, intended to keep services dependable and efficient. He cast the combined effort as a working example of planning that reconciles economic expansion with conservation.
“Abu Dhabi continues its ambitious development journey across all sectors, increasing our responsibility to ensure the sustainability of essential services that support this growth, while fostering a culture of responsible resource consumption in line with sustainability principles,” he said.
Engineer Ahmed Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Under-Secretary of the Department, said the UAE remains a leading voice in international climate and sustainable development work. He cautioned that worsening climate impacts heighten the need for coordination across borders, noting that holding global temperature rises to 1.5°C will require governments, industry and communities to act together on energy efficiency, water security and emissions.
Abdulaziz Mohamed Alhammadi, Director-General for Regulatory Affairs at the Department, said the country is positioning itself to lead one of the region’s most advanced energy transitions. He said widening the energy mix — through peaceful nuclear power, renewables and an expansion of solar projects in Abu Dhabi — bolsters energy security while cutting emissions.
