Masdar hosts carbon reporting awareness sessions

In a bid to highlight carbon management opportunities and risks, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has held two events to raise awareness about its carbon reporting programmes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in collaboration with Masdar, Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted renewable energy company, and PwC, the world's largest professional services firm, recently. CDP is an independent, non-for-profit organisation working to drive reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and encourage sustainable water use by businesses and cities. Workshop attendees included guests from The Crown Prince Court (CPC), the Abu Dhabi Municipality, Etihad, Aldar, KEO International Consultants, Western Region Municipality, Emirates Wildlife Society, World Wildlife Fund, Department of Transport, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Health Authority - Abu Dhabi and the Urban Planning Council. The two events, endorsed by the UAE Directorate of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD), were held in Abu Dhabi on 6th June at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI) and in Dubai on 7th June at PwC. On January 16, 2012, CDP was awarded the Zayed Future Energy Prize in the SME '&' NGO category. The Zayed Future Energy Prize, managed by Masdar, recognizes innovation, leadership, long-term vision and impact in renewable energy and sustainability. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Managing Director, CEO of Masdar and Director General of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, said: "Through its winners, the Zayed Future Energy Prize seeks to bring to the UAE best practices developed in the fields of renewable energy and clean technology. CDP's session at MI will help develop a concrete strategy and agenda for action regarding carbon reporting. Moreover, it is expected to go a long way in furthering Abu Dhabi's and the UAE's aim of building a greener future." "This collaboration is only a glimpse of what can be achieved through strategic partnerships. We are proud that a winner of the Zayed Future Energy Prize has recognised the importance of actively engaging with the region," he added. CDP is a unique global reporting system through which corporations, suppliers and cities disclose their GHG emissions and climate change management strategies. It gathers data through its annual information requests, issued on behalf of institutional investors, purchasing organisations and the C40 Cities' Climate Leadership Group. "After CDP was awarded the Zayed Future Energy Prize, we realized that there was a huge interest and movement in the UAE to address the impacts of carbon emissions both in the public and private sector. We feel it's a natural progression for CDP to become more active in this region. The awareness events are aimed to allow interested parties to understand how we can help in carbon management and reduction planning," commented Tom Carnac, Director of Innovation at CDP. With CDP providing insights into the business risks and opportunities associated with climate change, its activities in the UAE are expected to drive further initiatives towards sustainable development. International company experiences of reporting to CDP were shared, with a focus on how participation has developed over time, aided their learning and benefitted them in terms of identifying risks, opportunities and efficiencies. This is expected to encourage government bodies, corporations and entrepreneurs in the UAE to develop corporate sustainability strategies and to start reporting. "PwC's global advisory relationship with the CDP has enabled us to work together to help organisations identify and act upon sustainability opportunities and risks. The CDP awareness raising sessions in the UAE have provided local public and private organisations with insights into addressing energy, water, and climate related concerns," says Mohammed Salem, Partner at PwC and Middle East Leader of Sustainability and Climate Change. Organisations disclose information to CDP in order to increase transparency regarding carbon emissions and improve their organisational operations. They also aim to demonstrate increased awareness of GHG emission hot spots to help them to reduce emissions, show leadership in understanding and managing the risks from climate change and identify how their organisation is creating opportunities for innovation in this area. Information publicly reported to CDP is made available to the global marketplace via CDP's website and through other mechanisms such as Bloomberg and Google Finance. "CDP's initiative of providing the resulting data to a wide range of stakeholders such as government bodies, corporations, policy-makers, institutional investors, academia and the public will encourage establishment of low-carbon economies," he added. Since winning the Zayed Future Energy Prize, CDP has been witnessing greater interest in its programmes from organisations in the UAE. The intention of these workshops was to raise awareness in the UAE about the CDP and how it can drive greater action in carbon and water management. The sessions included case studies of companies that report to CDP, with a focus on how participation has aided their learning and benefitted them in terms of identifying risks, opportunities and efficiencies associated with climate change. For 2013, the Zayed Future Energy Prize has expanded its categories to include separate awards for an NGO, SME, Lifetime Achievement and Large Corporation. On January 15, 2013, the Prize will also award the first Global High School Prize to five high schools from five different geographic regions including the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceana. Submissions for the 2013 Zayed Future Energy Prize close on July 16, 2012.