The Dubai Road and Transport Authority has announced a plan to eliminate emissions from the city's public transport system by 2050.
The RTA has stated that, in addition to the public transit initiative, it is also working to lessen the environmental impact of its buildings and waste-management facilities.
The RTA plans to decarbonize all taxis, limousines, and public buses next year, as well as design all RTA facilities to utilise zero energy, promote renewable energy, and eliminate all municipal garbage.
It predicted that following this plan will result in a save of Dh3.3 billion and a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 10 million tonnes.
"The new strategy outlines a comprehensive approach to sustainability within RTA," stated Mattar Al Tayer, the director general of RTA.
Its main goal is to lessen carbon dioxide emissions and improve sustainability.
The UAE seeks to achieve global leadership in smooth and sustainable mobility
"At the same time," the RTA says, "it contributes to realising RTA's mission of achieving global leadership in smooth and sustainable mobility through innovative roads and transport services that elevate the customer experience to world-class standards."
By 2030, 10% of RTA's fleet will have been converted to electric and hydrogen cars; by 2035, that number will have increased to 20%; and by 2050, the entire fleet will have been converted.
It also includes transitioning 30% of cabs and limos in the emirate to electric and hydrogen cars by 2030, 50% by 2035, and 100% by 2040.
By 2030, 10% of the emirate's school buses would have been converted to electric and hydrogen buses, with that number rising to 30% in 2035 and 100% by 2050, according to the plan.
The RTA plans to install solar panels on 24 of its buildings for retrofitting by 2025. The target is to have 74% of the structures upgraded and retrofitted by 2030, with 100% completed by 2045. It stated that by the year 2025, new construction would use virtually little energy.
RTA plans to increase the usage of recycled water in its buildings and facilities to 40 percent by 2050 as part of its waste management initiatives, with the goal of reusing and recycling all municipal garbage by 2030.
According to the RTA, the new plan is in line with the United Arab Emirates' Cop28 preparations and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.
The RTA said in February that it intends to have its entire fleet of taxis converted to electric vehicles by 2027.
By the end of the five-year plan, all taxis in the emirate will be hybrids, electrics, or hydrogen-powered thanks to a new programme by the RTA.
The RTA announced last year that it has reduced its yearly costs by Dh86 million through the implementation of several environmentally friendly policies.
The transportation authority has taken 36 "energy and green economy initiatives" to lessen its use of power, water, and fossil fuels.
Over the next three decades, the United Arab Emirates plans to invest Dh600 billion on clean and renewable energy sources as part of its Net Zero 2050 Strategic Initiative, which was announced in 2021.
When it pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it was the first Gulf country to do so.
The National Net Zero by 2050 route revealed by the UAE at Cop27 in March was supported by the signing of the Net Zero 2050 Charter by the federal government and seven emirates in March.
The charter includes a pledge from the seven emirates' governments to implement and track programmes and policies designed to lessen the impact of climate change on areas like biodiversity, the environment, biosecurity, and public health.
Plans, policies, and tactics to combat climate change are all laid out in the charter. Emissions of greenhouse gases must be measured and monitored across all seven emirates, and the sources of these gases must be determined.
