Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced its renewed commitment to protecting the environment, by reducing its carbon emissions.
The initiative is in line with Dubai Government's aim to help prevent global warming and reduce its carbon footprint across all operational and infrastructure projects.
With a host of public transport options available in Dubai including buses, metro, trams and taxis, RTA encourages individuals to switch to public transport to reduce the excessive amount of carbon emissions from individual cars.
Trials for alternative and sustainable fuels has been charted. Converting 50% of taxis in Dubai into hybrid vehicles by 2021 and converting 90% of the limousine fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles by 2026 has also been planned.
By 2033, energy-saving smart streetlights would have been installed in Dubai with solar photovoltaic systems being installed at RTA premises.
RTA is part of the Dubai Paperless Strategy 2021 which aims to stop the use of paper by transferring it to digital applications for processing customer transactions and undertaking projects for self-driving transport and green buildings.
RTA aims to shift to electric, hydrogen and autonomous vehicles and will also plan to provide the infrastructure to recharge electric vehicles.
Nasir Bu Shehab, CEO of Strategy and Corporate Governance Sector RTA said, “RTA made considerable energy savings and emission reduction in 2014-2020 by saving 205-gigawatt hours of electricity consumption, 187 million water gallons, and 49 million litres of fuel in addition to cutting emissions by 212 thousand tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. RTA is also actively engaged in monitoring its greenhouse gas emissions through a strategic indicator and key indicators at sectors and agencies.”