Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2008 hosts conference on sustainable development

The forum was attended by a panel of speakers from within the industry, representing key experts and stakeholders who engaged an audience of professionals and practitioners in a debate on the subject of sustainable development.

Emirates Energy Award, an initiative by the Dubai Quality Group, was one of the most prominent participants in the forum, where Dr Mohammed Dulaimi, Co-ordinator of Awareness Programmes for the EEA, delivered a valuable lecture entitled "The True and Comprehensive Concept of Sustainable Development".

The lecture included detailed explanations of the concept and discussed the UAE model of implementation.

The topic of the presentation generated much interest among the attendees, and the lecturer concluded his presentation by calling for the establishment of a national scheme to encourage and adopt productive suggestions and ideas that further develop the country's typical strategy, which is considered one of the world's leading policies on sustainable development.

Dulaimi clarified that comprehensive development is not limited to the construction sector, but necessarily includes all aspects of life, which must be addressed for the sake of society.

"The implementation of sustainable development in its comprehensive framework is the ideal solution for such crises in the construction sector as shortages in building materials, the delays in property handovers, shortage of skilled labour," Dulaimi said.

He added, "Sustainable development is a global concern, but if we focus only on one side of this concept, we will soon find ourselves facing a crisis similar to that caused by the energy generating obsession that led to the destruction of food for energy generating purposes, thus jeopardizing food security and leading to a series of sharp hikes in food prices."

Speaking of the energy challenges, Dulaimi clarified that the energy consumption in the country has reached record levels, with energy consumption rates are up by 15% in Dubai, by 10 % in Sharjah and 7% in Abu Dhabi, far exceeding the global average, which is estimated at 4%.

"Our combined efforts are urgently required if we are to overcome this challenge. We at Emirates Energy Award aim to increase awareness among individuals, corporations and policy makers of the importance of energy conservation and maintaining a healthy environment."

The UAE is one of the world's leaders in the movement for adopting sustainable building practices and green building concepts.

The country has recently joined the group of nations using nuclear energy to meet its energy demands, announcing its plans to produce nuclear energy locally, as an economical and ecologically friendly alternative to using fossil fuels to meet the country's soaring energy demands.

This initiative will contribute significantly to sustainable development in the country.