The UAE is driving initiatives to minimise the negative environmental impact of urban development, said Environment and Water Minister Dr Muhammad Saeed Al Kindi.

Speaking at the unveiling of ‘Cool City’ at VIP presentations to high level government and business leaders in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the minister identified action areas as sustainable construction, the use of renewable energy, efficient waste management and the combating of air pollution.

The Cool City concept - using available green technology in transport, urban development and architecture with a low carbon footprint - is being promoted by the Sustainable Urban Development Consortium for Japan and Gulf States Partnership, orchestrated by Nikken Sekkei, one of the world’s largest architectural design firms.

Unveiled at symposiums on November 4 and 5, Cool City would consume up to 60 per cent less energy than a conventional urban area by using cutting-edge technologies already tried and tested in Japan, the organisers said in a statement.

“The UAE is one of the biggest oil producing countries in the world,” Yuriko Koike, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives and former Japanese minister of environment, said.

“It is important to the world that…efficient energy consumption also takes place in oil producing countries. Utilising Japanese technology in the UAE will be good for our two countries and at the same time it will be an excellent role model globally,” he added.

Abu Dhabi Masdar Initiative – a global platform for the search for solutions for some of mankind’s most pressing issues such as energy security, climate change and sustainable development including renewable energy and environmentally friendly technologies, said Professor Kiyoshi Kurokawa, special advisor to the cabinet of the Japanese government.

Professor Kurokawa expressed the hope that Japan could act as a partner in collaboration with the “truly daunting” Masdar Initiative.

Dr Al Kindi said in order to cope with the fast pace of development in the UAE, a federal strategy had been introduced in which government institutions are urged to adopt practical solutions to achieve sustainable development.

He said the recent launch of a green buildings initiative in which all civil and commercial buildings in Dubai will have to be designed and constructed to strict environmentally-friendly standards.

“This decision makes Dubai the first city in the Middle East and one of the first in the world to implement and enforce green building codes of practice and regulations,” he added.

“As the environment minister made clear, the UAE is well aware of the environmental challenges it faces and energy conservation will be a key issue in years to come,” said Mitsuo Nakamura, consortium representative and president and CEO of Nikken Sekkei. “We wanted to share our technological advances in the belief that they can make a significant contribution towards reducing the UAE’s carbon footprint.”

The symposium featured a total of 11 world-class organisations including Nikken Sekkei, Sanyo, Toshiba, Hitachi, Panasonic and other influential Japanese companies. – TradeArabia News Service