Within a short amount of time, Dubai has overtaken some other countries which had started their renewable energy programmes earlier. Dubai is acting faster than most other countries. The strategy of Dubai is that it goes ahead on a plan & rather moves fast to exceed the targets & advance the implementation.

While the rest of the world ?talks? about adopting a green economy, Dubai is already leading by example and acting on its strategies, a UN representative said

Adopting a green economy results in a sustainable economy in that all energy requirements of a city or country are sourced from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro, among others. By doing so, carbon emissions are reduced to zero, lessening negative impacts on the environment. It involves a massive overhaul of a carbon-intensive, fossil fuel-dependent economy.

These facts are quite substantial in view of just concluded Climate summit of United Nations at the USA. US president Barack Obama and more than 100 other world leaders promised to seek a global agreement addressing climate change. They took the stage on Tuesday to lay out how rising ocean levels, intensifying cyclones, record flooding or intensifying heat waves threaten their nations.

The World Green Economy Summit in 2015 will focus on the transformation towards global green economies and strengthening Dubai?s position as an example of a green economy and sustainable development, said Saeed Al Tayer, managing director and chief executive of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa).

Dewa will host the summit on April 22 and 23, 2015. It will build on the Dubai Declaration, an outline drafted at the 2014 summit detailing the commitments for Dubai in its progress towards a green economy.

The goals for the summit included promoting the summit as an internationally recognised platform for the green economy innovation and the means of monitoring the goals set in the Dubai Declaration.

Mr Al Tayer stressed that a secondary goal was to promote an international discussion on sustainable development, and the transformation of developing economies into green ones.

AT A GLANCE: DUBAI SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2013

During the forum, Dewa launched its first Sustainability Report 2013 where it highlighted its achievements, best practices, and future priority programmes.

 Key facts about Dewa in 2013:

WATER SUPPLY: 470 million imperial gallons of water per day. That?s equivalent to filling up 712 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

 ENERGY SUPPLY: 9,656MW

 Dewa through the years has improved the availability and reliability of its electricity supply to a world record of 5.62 customer minutes lost in 2013 from 20.62 minutes in 2005.

 Unaccounted water losses from the water distribution network dropped from 15 per cent in 2010 to 10 per cent in 2013.

In the supplied photo Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, DEWA, and Edmund O'Sullivan, Chairman, Meed, at the Launch of DEWA?s 1st Sustainability Report at The Address Dubai Mall, Dubai on 23-Sep-14.