The Sustainable City Issues Second Annual Greenhouse Gas Report On Its Carbon Footprint

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Oct, 2019) The Sustainable City, the first fully operational sustainable community in the middle East unveiled its carbon footprint report for the year 2018, becoming the first residential complex in the Middle East to measure its carbon footprint, having prepared a similar report in 2017 on the level of greenhouse gases, GHG.

Faris Saeed, the CEO and co-founder of Diamond Developers, the developer of The Sustainable City, said, "Keeping track of the carbon footprint is a fundamental issue, as stipulated in the Paris Climate Agreement. Per capita, GHG emissions dropped from 5.1 tonnes of CO2 to 4.1 tonnes. This is due mainly to the advanced energy technologies that we have employed and our ongoing efforts to improve results in this regard, most notably by encouraging a behavioural change among residents."

According to the new report, audited by the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence, the total emissions in 2018 were 10,126 tonnes of CO2, up from 8,708 tonnes the previous year. This increase is mainly because of the high occupancy levels of residential units from 73 percent to 95 percent, and the growing volume of commercial activities.

The total GHG emissions increased by 15.6 percent (from 8,761 tonnes of CO2 to 10,126 tonnes of CO2) for the same reasons.

The same report revealed that the largest source of emissions was due to electricity consumption for various purposes, including losses from transmission and distribution operations, accounting for 46 percent of the city's total emissions.

After measuring the average electricity consumption in villas, it was observed that the energy intensity decreased from 99 to 93 kWh in 2018, which is equivalent to a six percent drop, thanks to improved energy practices at the household level. One of the highlights of the report was also the connection of 2.46 megawatts of solar photovoltaic power in public areas, which offset 87 percent of the electricity consumption in common areas.

In support of the UAE’s sustainable development vision, The Sustainable City is, for the fourth consecutive year, participating in the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition, which began on 21st October, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and concludes on 23rd October, 2019.