ABU DHABI // The UAE has finally lost the world title it never wanted – the most environmentally wasteful country on the planet.
Every two years since 1998 the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has produced a global ecological footprint chart, and the UAE has topped every chart since 2000.
But in the latest Living Planet Report published today the unenviable top spot went to Qatar, with Kuwait second and the UAE dropping to third.
The UAE is becoming more aware of the need to conserve resources, said Tanzeed Alam, policy director at the Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF).
Recent measures such as the introduction of efficiency standards for some air-conditioning units, green building codes in Abu Dhabi and renewable-energy targets in the capital and in Dubai are all moves in the right direction.
"The UAE has already started some domestic actions," he said. "We still feel there is more that needs to happen."
The biannual report measures humanity's need for natural resources such as land for crops and grazing, fishing grounds, forests and others, against the planet's ability to produce these resources.
Overall, demand for natural resources has doubled since 1966. Humanity needs 1.5 planets to sustain itself, meaning that people are degrading natural resources at an alarming rate.
Although the UAE's total environmental footprint is well below 1 per cent of the global total, its per-capita footprint of 8.4 global hectares (gha) per person is several times higher than the global average.
Kuwait's per-capita footprint is just under 10 gha per person. Qatar, the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, reaches nearly 12 gha per person.
With harsh desert climates and scarce fresh water supplies, the three Gulf countries "share a common challenge", said Mr Alam.
"We all need a lot of electricity to desalinate water and to keep buildings cool in summer. There is also wasteful consumption of resources."
The latest report uses data from 2008. Its previous edition, published in 2010, used data assembled in 2007. Then, the UAE's footprint was 10.68 gha per person.
"There have been methodological adjustments to the way the country's footprint is calculated and it may be partly to do with the economic slowdown the UAE has faced," said Razan Al Mubarak, secretary general of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi.
"This could also be an indication that resources are being consumed more efficiently."
Besides the global territory necessary to produce the food, timber and other resources for sustaining a population, the footprint concept also examines the land necessary to build houses and infrastructure, and absorb produced wastes.
One important type of waste is carbon dioxide. This and other greenhouse gases are released when fossil fuel is burned to power vehicles and produce energy. About 80 per cent of the UAE's environmental footprint comes from the consumption of energy and other carbon-intensive goods and services.
Mr Alam said saving energy and water offered the greatest opportunities to reduce the UAE's high carbon and environmental footprints. One area for policy-makers to consider is drafting a comprehensive federal strategy to combat climate change.
Another important step is to draft implementation plans for Abu Dhabi and Dubai's renewable energy targets.
Developing green buildings codes for existing buildings also offers opportunities, he said.
While a significant portion of a country's environmental footprint has to do with decisions made by its institutions or resource usage by its companies, individuals also play a role. The report found that individuals in high-income countries have a footprint five times greater than those in low-income countries.
If everyone lived as the average resident of Indonesia does, only two-thirds of the planet's bio-capacity would be used, the report said. If we all lived as the average American does, humanity would need four Earths to sustain its annual demand for resources.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
