336,632,660: That’s the total population of the Middle East & North Africa as last measured by the World Bank. That’s a lot of people. But a large number of those people are hard at work to make our planet a more sustainable and cleaner place for old, new and future generations to inhabit.
As fossil fuels are quickly running out, the UAE has been progressively working on innovative renewable-energy-projects to replace them with. In late January, Abu Dhabi hosted the fourth annual Sustainability Week, the ground-breaking global forum that unites thought leaders, policy-makers and investors to address the challenges of renewable energy and sustainable development.
An initiative of the Abu Dhabi government, it’s the largest gathering on sustainability in the Middle East and a significant forum in stimulating global dialogue and, more importantly, concrete action.
Welcome to a post-petroleum world!
In the spirit of being green, Al Bawaba attended this year’s event, a parade of innovative technologies and projects that illustrate how the Middle East in general, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in particular, is positioning itself as a leader in a post-petroleum world.
We toured SHAMS 1, the massive solar power plant that is diversifying the UAE’s energy mix and reducing its carbon footprint by displacing over an impressive 175,000 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to planting 1.5 million trees or removing 15,000 cars from Abu Dhabi’s roads.
There were up-close-encounters with the student designers behind the Solar Challenge car race and the pilots of Solar Impulse 2, set to circumnavigate the planet, also on sun power. Abu Dhabi was selected as the best departure point for this historic flight due to its climate, infrastructure, and commitment to clean technology.
We also interviewed the leaders of Masdar Institute, a graduate level, research-oriented university focused on alternative energy, sustainability, and the environment, which is nurturing highly-skilled human and intellectual capital throughout the region.
But the best take-away from the conference was the passion of our people, moving the world to a better, more sustainable future. Drop us a comment if you want more stories about the projects we explored and the leaders we spoke with.
And, in defiance of recent headlines which may encourage you to think of us as either fighters or refugees, we bring you twelve outstanding examples of human achievement happening here, now.
You’ll look at the Middle East in a totally "renewed" way now...
