United Arab Emirates General Environmental Policy 2021.

This General Environmental Policy is a comprehensive national document reaffirming the UAE's commitment to addressing climate change at the regional and international levels. This policy focuses on managing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing resilience and adaptation capabilities, and leveraging opportunities to build a diverse and sustainable green economy. This long-term policy is designed for continuous improvement and governance, incorporating specific action plans and performance indicators to ensure ongoing environmental protection during peaceful times and emergencies, crises, and disasters. Key objectives of the policy include (i) enhancing the quality of life in the UAE, now and in the future, by maintaining a sustainable environment that supports long-term economic growth; (ii) preserving the country's biodiversity and ensuring the sustainability of its resources, ecosystems, and services; (iii) integrating environmental protection and climate action considerations and objectives into the policies and plans of various sectors across the country; (iv) increasing the contribution of the livestock and agricultural sectors to the national economy and food diversification, supporting efforts to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
The document sets targets to be achieved in different sectors (1) Mitigate Climate Change: (i) Increase clean energy contribution to 50% by 2050; (ii) Reduce energy consumption by 40% by 2050; (iii) Ensure priority sectors are climate-adaptive by 2030; (2) Preserve Natural Environment by 2030: (i) Preserve 22% of terrestrial and inland water areas and 20% of coastal and marine areas; (ii) Rehabilitate 80% of degraded land; (iii) Eliminate biodiversity-harming incentives; (iv) Improve management effectiveness of protected areas by 60%; (v) Reduce illegal wildlife trade by 90%; (vi) Raise Sea Water Quality Index to 86.5%; (vii) Sustainably exploit 70% of fish stock; (3) Improve the status of 50% of threatened species by 2050. Improve Air Quality: (i) Increase clean energy contribution to 50% by 2050; (ii) Achieve 90% air quality by 2021 (WHO guidelines); (iii) Reach 100% air quality by 2040 (national standards); (iv) Attain 35µg/m³ PM2.5 levels by 2030; (v) Increase PM2.5 compliance from 80% in 2021 to 90% by 2040; (4) Strengthen Food Safety and Diversify Sources: (i) Achieve 100% on the food safety index by 2024; (ii) Tighten controls on animal-origin food residues by 2026; (iii) Fully develop the "Zad" food accreditation system by 2026; (iv) Standardize food safety procedures by 2023; (v) Implement 100% food safety systems in establishments by 2026; (vi) Develop crisis preparedness systems by 2025; (5) Sustain Local Agricultural Production: (i) Increase productivity per unit area and water by 2026; (ii) Achieve 100% food safety (pesticide residues) by 2030; (iii) Implement 60% urban agriculture by 2050; (5) Increase Sustainability of Local Animal Production: (i) Make UAE a global camel breeding research center by 2040; (ii) Eradicate priority animal diseases by 2030; (iii) Achieve 100% self-sufficiency in targeted animal products by 2040; (6) Enhance Integrated Waste Management: (i) Treat 75% of municipal waste by 2025 and 85% by 2035; (ii) Reduce municipal waste generation to 1.4 kg/person/day by 2025 and 1.2 kg/person/day by 2035; (7) Promote Environmentally Sound Chemical Management: (i) Halt ozone-depleting substances (HFCs) by 2028; (ii) Reduce ozone-depleting substances (HFCs) by 10% by 2032 and 100% by 2040; (iii) Increase reliance on safe refrigerants to reduce greenhouse gases by 90% by 2050 ;(iv) Establish regulatory frameworks for chemical use by 2040; (v) Achieve zero chemical-related accidents by 2025.