Abu Dhabi Leads MENA Region In Climate Transparency With Enhanced Reporting Framework

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) announced Sunday that the Capital of the United Arab Emirates will be the first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to implement the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) at a subnational level.

The ETF helps countries report their greenhouse gas emissions and track their progress toward achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), WAM reported.

This follows the national-level launch by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment last year. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change created the ETF to build trust between countries and support its effective implementation.

Secretary-General of EAD Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri explained the importance of tracking progress under the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy, which was launched in 2023, to meet ambitious climate targets.

The goal was to reduce Abu Dhabi's absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 47 million tonnes by 2030 compared to 2016 levels and achieve a 22% reduction in emissions by 2027. The ETF system, the first of its kind in the MENA region at a subnational level, will support these efforts.

As the lead agency for climate action in Abu Dhabi, EAD will collect and input data on greenhouse gas and air emissions into the system. This data will contribute to the national ETF system developed by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

Al Dhaheri explained that EAD will work closely with key sectors responsible for emissions, including industry, agriculture and land use change, energy and waste.

The agency has developed an easy-to-use digital tool to help these sectors provide the necessary data. The data collected in Abu Dhabi will support the UAE's NDCs and its efforts to address climate change.

She highlighted that the UAE, particularly Abu Dhabi, was serious about tackling climate change and that combating its impacts requires a united effort from all key sectors. A crucial step forward will be monitoring and reporting accurate data, which the new ETF system will facilitate.

The subnational ETF will regularly send its data to the national ETF system at scheduled times for national reporting. Using advanced technology, the ETF project was creating a system, including a digital platform, to help EAD with its work and the enforcement of climate change policies in Abu Dhabi.

The platform collects data quickly with minimal human involvement, improving information quality. Meanwhile, the EAD will be responsible for monitoring, reporting, validating, regulating and managing the ETF system.