Three quarters of UAE residents feel that the problem of global warming will be successfully solved through the right technological solutions, while over half think climate change is inevitable, a new survey has found.
Commissioned by communications firm duke+mir ahead of COP28 and polled through YouGov, the survey reported that while 75% of UAE residents think humans will find the right technology to counter global warming, 52% felt climate change was unavoidable. This, the survey’s authors said, was an area of concern for environmental action groups. ,
Mir Murtaza Khurshid, Co-Founder and Partner at duke+mir, said: “People in the UAE are convinced that humanity will find a way to overcome the impacts of climate change. Now is the time for individuals to do their part. In the Year of Sustainability, COP28 is a generational opportunity to raise greater awareness of climate change and support the UAE to achieve its Net Zero 2050 vision.”
The duke+mir report includes insight from Fatma Abdulla Ibrahim Al Khayat, Urban Planning Specialist at Abu Dhabi Executive Office. She said that the design of cities can help encourage individuals to take positive action.
“The biggest challenge that cities face at a global scale is climate change. This highlights the significance of implementing measures that reduce the impact on the environment when planning and building urban areas, encompassing even small-scale interventions such as implementing effective urban recycling practices to incorporating urban greenery in streetscapes and buildings,” she said.
Half of UAE residents recycle
Another positive key finding of public survey was that half of UAE residents recycle regularly, while also showing there is an opportunity to drive awareness and engage the remaining proportion of the population to participate. When compared to the UK where nine out of 10 people frequently recycle waste, it demonstrates that individuals within the UAE could be doing a bit more to help the planet, the survey’s authors opined.
The UAE is already in the top 50 countries in the world for waste recycling with around a quarter of waste already recycled, according to research by Yale and Columbia University for the Environmental Performance Index. In 2018, the UAE set out a goal to recycle 75% of waste, which was further supported by the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031, aiming to move towards reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill.
The country’s official agencies have also set clear goals and timelines towards meeting green targets, such as Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority’s recent declaration of transitioning to zero-emissions operations by 2050.
“UAE leaders have set clear targets to create a sustainable circular economy in the coming years. Now residents have an opportunity to follow this example and take more positive action towards the environment in their daily lives,” Khurshid added.
The survey, which polled over 1,000 UAE residents as part of a research paper titled ‘Environment Action in the UAE’, also dives deeper into how individuals spend time in nature and what actions they take on a daily basis.