Dubai, UAE. 5 October 2023: The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in collaboration with the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI) today launched the Green Government & Climate Technology report through the ‘Ibtekr’ knowledge platform. The platform aims to strengthen the culture of innovation and inspire government entities and the business sector to adopt global best practices and support communities around the world to advance the sustainable development goals.
The report sheds light on some of the most innovative projects implemented globally covering two aspects: government’s sustainable development efforts and climate technology. This is one of the key initiatives during the UAE’s Year of Sustainability and aligns with the country’s preparations to host COP28 this November.
The launch event was held by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment at its headquarters in Dubai, in the presence of Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Her Excellency Huda Al Hashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, and a number of officials representing both parties.
HE Almheiri: Harnessing innovation and technology to build a sustainable future
Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri said: “The UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, believes in harnessing innovation and technology to build a sustainable future through cooperation, innovation and knowledge. We are committed to creating sustainable solutions to transform challenges into opportunities that bring social, economic and environmental benefits.”
H.E. Almheiri added: “Climate change and its effects are more evident than ever, and to advance endeavors to achieve UAE NetZero by 2050, it is important to strengthen technological knowhow. The UAE is determined to achieve climate neutrality through ambitious plans, and the launch of the Green Government & Climate Technology report in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation reflects our commitment to promoting climate action.”
HE Almheiri added: “The unique insights, data and recommendations in the report reflect major opportunities to enhance sustainability and to use available climate technologies to reduce emissions and implement our climate change adaptation plans. These efforts will be our top priority during the Conference of Parties COP28, where we will focus on sharing such solutions to create a sustainable future for all.”
HE Huda Al Hashimi: The UAE government is keen to disseminate knowledge in support of international efforts
Her Excellency Huda Al Hashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs said: “The UAE government is keen to strengthen knowledge on innovation and to exchange experiences that inspire governments and private sector institutions to implement dynamic projects that contribute to climate action and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
She added: “The report focuses on one of the most important global challenges facing societies today and seeks to support the objectives of the Year of Sustainability by highlighting the UAE’s efforts in the collective global endeavors to address climate change and underline role the UAE plays in developing solutions that benefit all stakeholders.”
Green Governments
The report includes 21 case studies from 12 countries covering policies, strategies and initiatives implemented by different governments to reduce carbon emissions. It also underlines the need to strengthen partnerships between the government and private sectors to create new practical tools and models that can support the launch of holistic national initiatives that, in turn, advances the climate agenda of governments and enhance their impact on global initiatives.
The Green Governments & Climate Technology report has two main parts: Green Government, which includes 10 major that have been launched to transform government operations to mitigate climate change, as well as Climate Tech Innovations that highlight climate technologies supporting 11 initiatives. The report includes five Emirati initiatives that have had a global positive impact.
On a local level, the report highlighted two of the UAE’s main sustainability initiatives. This included the Green Barjeel Project launched by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, which is an innovative educational research platform that aims to produce local microalgae to purify ambient air, and the Sustainable Procurement Policy launched by the Dubai Statistics Center.
The report highlights the GreenGov.SG Initiative launched by the Government of Singapore, which focuses on sustainable results and the implementation of processes to manage the use of resources. The report also cites the Green Roofs Initiative launched by the Egyptian government in Cairo, with the aim of using urban spaces more intelligently and contributing to combating the heat absorbed by buildings and offsetting air pollution.
The report highlights the Japanese government’s initiative to link Green and Digital Investments to Government Cost Cutting by setting a goal to cut emissions by 2050.
The report features the results of the Indonesian government’s initiative, the Balikpapan Landfill Gas Plant, to capture greenhouse gases and convert them into electricity and a create a new revenue stream. The report mentions the US city of Portland Oregon’s Sustainable City Principles Dashboard which aims to hold local government to account.
The report also features the Peterborough New Hampshire’s Renewable Energy Leadership in the US, which contributed to driving renewable energy by accelerating solar energy uses.
The US and Canada jointly held an international forum to collaborate on greening government initiatives. The report touches on the initiative led by the Italian city Monza that offers a nature-based solution for stormwater management.
Game-changing climate technology innovations
The second part of the report explores climate tech innovations, and features the most important technology-focused solutions, supported by Governments around the world in partnership with the private sector.
It features three UAE-based initiatives: The plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, an ambitious plan was launched during Expo 2020 Dubai, The UAE Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge, launched by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and the creation of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA).
The report features Scotland’s Space Intelligence Company, which uses artificial intelligence and satellite maps to collect, process and analyze data to help companies cut carbon emissions and reduce environmental impact. In addition is the Urban Heat Watch for 14 US Cities project, developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The report also focuses on Microsoft’s Project Natik, the first data center in a sealed container and placed half a mile from the coast. It is one of the most sustainable and efficient data facilities.
The report highlights an initiative by the European Investment Bank, which signed an agreement to finance Northvolt to build the first local factory in the continent to produce lithium battery cells. The report also features Kenya’s Solar Freeze, which assists farmers with reducing waste through mobile, renewable- powered cold storage.
The report focuses on the Advanced Biofuel Solutions project in the UK, which is a partnership between University College London and city government of Swindon. The entities have built a plant that can convert gas from household waste into low-carbon hydrogen for use in the transport industry.
The report sheds light on the New Zealand government’s initiative, Green Investment Fund, to launch a $100 million sustainable investment fund, which helps companies reduce carbon emissions.
Another case study is the Sustaintech Xcelerator, a virtual accelerator which boosts confidence in nature-based carbon credits. This was launched by Google Cloud, DBS, the Centre for Nature-Based Climate Solutions at the National University of Singapore, and the World Bank.
The digital platform Ibtekr is the first of its kind in the Arab world specializing in government innovation. It was launched to support the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build human capacity globally, as well as build a generation of innovators and future leaders by providing education, reports, manuals, interactive training laboratories and data.
