GREEN SUSTAINABLE FIT OUT COSTS: TRUTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

Going Green: Can We Afford Not To?

Global & Local Sustainable Development Challenges

In an increasingly interdependent world, environmental challenges are on the agenda of all nations, whether highly developed or still developing. These challenges include climate change, loss of biodiversity, over-use of natural resources, and rising pollution levels. Environmental issues are intimately connected to economic development and sustainability. This connection has been recognised by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). There are many international agreements focusing on carbon emission reduction, including the Kyoto Agreement and the Paris Accord. However, the sense of crisis continues to grow. More people than ever are paying attention to environmental news and trying to modify their own behaviours to help the environment. Businesses are also playing their part with environmental sustainability becoming an important part of CSR.

For the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), environmental and economic sustainability are overlapping critical issues. The unique climate of the Emirates presents special environmental challenges, including a hot climate and water scarcity. Both these factors contribute to extremely high demand for cooling and for desalinated water production. The UAE’s reliance on petroleum has led to it being one of the countries with the highest carbon emissions per capita in the world [2]. Rapid economic development and high population growth in the past decades have also led to high energy consumption (exacerbated by subsidised prices, until recently), rapid urban development and rising pollution. These environmental pressures impact population health and the economy. For instance, a 2010 World Wildlife Fund Report (WWF) found that the UAE had the largest ecological footprint in the world.

Article originally published by Summertown. Read it full here https://www.summertown.ae/green-sustainable-fit-out-costs-truths-myths/