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from landfill. There’s a mandatory audit procedure for each project. The rules
Background of the Initiative
ran into initial resistance from industry
As the capital of the United Arab
groups that feared increased costs and
Emirates, Abu Dhabi has maintained
more difficult project approval. But
a fast pace of economic growth by
independent analysis has confirmed
tapping into its rich reserves of oil
that cost increases are negligible.
and natural gas, with its GDP per capita amounting to US$ 49,600. In recent years, the government of Abu Dhabi has launched a series of pro-sustainability programs, which are designed to help build up a new socio-economic development model
Name of City: Abu Dhabi
featuring low energy consumption and
Name of Province/State: Emirate of Abu
sustainability.
Dhabi Name of Country/Region: United Arab Emirates Geographic Region: North Africa and Middle East Population: 2,490,600 (2012)
Previously, the region followed a predominantly nomadic herding, fishing and pearl diving culture, with date and vegetable plantations contributing to the local economy. Bedouin life, whilst hard and without many of today’s material comforts, required little from
Surface Area: 972 km2
the land and made little impact in
Population Density: 947 people / km2
return. Wasting nothing, the Bedouin
GD per capita: USD 49,000
way of life was truly sustainable, but
Title or Slogan of the Initiative: Estidama
it is now unadaptable to the needs
Program Start Date of the Initiative: 2008 (Mandated 2010) End Date of the Initiative: in the Process
of socio-economic development in the modern times. Abu Dhabi has undergone a dramatic change in the last fifty years, with the economic rewards
Thematic Area: Society Economy
from oil and gas reserves propelling it
Environment Governance / Management
from a backward region into a modern
Technology
megalopolis today. Despite such extraordinary progress, Abu Dhabi still