Dubai, UAE, 10 October 2018: The theme for the Seventh Annual Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) Congress, held on October 9, at the Pullman Hotel, in Dubai, is ‘Targeting Zero: A Vision for Future Cities’, said  Habiba Al Marashi, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Co-founder, EmiratesGBC. During the welcome address, she said, “The EmiratesGBC Congress has evolved over the years, while gaining trust and respect from the industry. The more the trust, the greater the responsibility to do our part and work towards sustainability.”

Saeed Al Abbar

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairperson, EmiratesGBC, said that the United Arab Emirates will reduce energy consumption significantly by the year 2030. “The coming 12 years are critical to reducing energy consumption,” said Al Abbar. The United Arab Emirates, he said, is one of the first regions to embrace sustainable design in Green Buildings and this, he said, was the result of the government’s strong resolve to take up the enormous challenge of working towards energy efficiency. “There is a pressing need to work towards sustainability while omitting carbon emissions by the year 2030,” he added.

Terri Wills, CEO, World Green Building Council, gave a video address, in which she stressed the need to advance towards Net Zero Energy Buildings. She said, “Our buildings require a complete overhaul and this calls for a radical transformation on how we build, operate and transform our projects to be energy efficient.” Making the call for companies to be open to new solutions and to make a commitment to net zero energy, she said that, as of today, there are 38 signatories of the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. She added that the idea is for companies to work with their local GBC towards de-carbonisation of existing buildings and new projects.