The Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), chaired by HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA has endorsed a project for preparing & implementing the Green Economy Governance Framework. The move is part of efforts made to leverage RTA’s agencies & sectors, as well as their partners, to contribute to the improvement of energy & green economy aspects under a concerted & integrated methodology. The entire drive is aligned with the initiative of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, themed: “Green Economy for a Sustainable Development” along with its six drivers namely: Green Energy, Government Policies, Green City, Coping with the effects of climatic change, Green life, and Green Technology.
“RTA has effectively become the first government body in the region that caters to such a project, which echoes our strategic drive to promote this global concept. The project involves coordination with the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence to chalk out the best green economy practices besides measuring & examining relevant standards,” said Al Tayer.
“RTA’s strategy to chart out a governance structure for the green economy would assist the realization of the objectives of the Sustainable Development Plan 2030 launched by the UN General Assembly. The UAE pronounced its support to this Plan during the UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015 held in New York City. Revamping RTA’s Green Economy Strategy resulted in drawing up plans for affiliated agencies & sectors, the implementation of which would be geared to the relevant key performance indicators,” he noted.
“RTA’s strategic initiatives for the Green Economy are aligned with its scope of work as well as relevant local, federal and international strategies. These initiatives will directly influence the strategic goal: Achieving Environmental Sustainability of Transport, and set the framework for Green Economy in RTA, which will cement its pioneering role in the field of green economy transport worldwide. In this regard, four themes comprising five strategic initiatives have been identified in collaboration with the concerned bodies in RTA’s sectors and agencies.”
“The first theme is Green Energy and is dedicated to adopting the use of renewable energy sources and clean fuel. The second theme is Green Investment; an initiative for developing a sustainable transport sector driven by innovation & knowledge and supported by specialist Emirati personnel. The third theme: Green Cities encompasses two initiatives; the first is concerned with the enhancement of communication between the public & RTA’s green economy initiatives in the field of transport, and the second is focused on adopting measures to step up the efficiency of environmental assets during their lifespan. The fourth theme, which addresses Green Technologies, involves an initiative for adopting smart & green technologies and green procurement. The Green Economy structures of RTA covers a variety of relevant procedures, operations and activities supporting the implementation of the Green Economy requirements, and fostering green innovation among others,” explained Al Tayer.
“Over the past three years, RTA has accomplished 45 projects, initiatives related to energy and green economy. It had also established a Green Economy Section affiliated to the Safety Regulation & Risk Planning Department to act as a reference point for all green initiatives & projects across RTA. It has introduced the Green Building Codes at excellent standards and is planning to obtain LEED certification for Route 2020 Project, which would be on the go fairly soon. RTA is also seeking to replace all street lights by lights using LED technology by 2030, which would reduce the carbon footprint by more than 3000 tons of carbon per annum,” said Al Tayer.
“In 2015, RTA launched the Electric Bus with a battery chargeable up to 80% in less than 30 minutes, and with a fully charged battery, the bus can travel 200 km. RTA has also piloted the operation of a bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), and another project for measuring the carbon footprint of vehicles in Dubai Emirate. It had also successfully launched the trial run of environment-friendly hybrid vehicles in 2008 and is intending to beef up the fleet of these vehicles to as much as 50% by 2020. In keeping with the Dubai Government policy to bring happiness to people, RTA launched services via smart phones that contributed to environmental conservation efforts. Each transaction performed online or via smart apps reduces carbon emissions by 15 kg, and in 2015, it had managed to reduce 8100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions,” explained Al Tayer.
Nasser Abu Shehab, CEO of RTA’s Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector said: “Over the past few years, RTA had made significant progress in the transition towards sustainability & green economy through adopting an array of plans, solutions and strategies, all contributing to sustainability. The public transport means, comprising the metro, tram and public buses in Dubai, are considered environment-friendly (green) transit modes as they are powered by fuel considered the cleanest worldwide.”
“The Green Economy is a key tool for building a safe & sustainable future for humanity. However, generalizing this model to all sectors and availing its benefits is closely associated with a string of factors & conditions. The UAE is making a notable effort in this regard in collaboration with the UN Environment Program and several of the specialized UN Agencies,” added Abu Shehab.
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