How sustainability is revolutionising the UAE’s real estate sector

How sustainability is revolutionising the UAE’s real estate sector

With real estate producing roughly 30 per cent of global annual emissions and consuming nearly 40 per cent of the world’s energy, it has one of the highest carbon footprints of any sector. This is why the UAE has emphasised the development of sustainable real estate in recent years.

By Madhav Dhar Published: Sun 13 Aug 2023, 10:28 PM Last updated: Sun 13 Aug 2023, 10:48 PM

In recent years, sustainable solutions are being adopted and implemented in the UAE’s real estate sector at an accelerated pace. To understand why, we can look at the 1800s when scientists studied how different gases and vapours could trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, and the 1900s when society was first urged to err on the side of caution.

The past

In 1896, it was predicted that changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels could significantly alter the surface temperature through the greenhouse effect; in 1938, it was proposed that CO2 increases in Earth’s atmosphere were linked to global changes in temperature .

In 1958, CO2 concentrations were observed to be steadily rising, and in 1988, it was reported that the human-caused buildup of greenhouse gases was altering the climate and ultimately causing global warming - just two