With the Middle East set to take center stage in global discussions around sustainability when COP28 takes place in Dubai this year, awareness of the need to decarbonize the region’s building footprint is at an all-time high.
In a bid to further its proactive support for this objective, AESG, a specialist consultancy, engineering, and advisory firm, today extended its partnership with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), a global action network that works with businesses, organizations, and governments to deliver on the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs).
Industry sources added that as per the UNICEF, By 2050, almost half of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are projected to have population increases of at least 50% compared to their 2015 figures. This rise will mean a huge demand for buildings. Left unchecked, the environmental impact of this wave of construction activity could be significant.
AESG has played a key role in providing Net Zero consultancy services for a number of projects in the Middle East. The company has also had a firm and long-standing association with the WorldGBC as its CEO, Saeed Al Abbar, previously served as the Chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) – the UAE chapter of the broader MENA Regional Network.
“Against the backdrop of mounting resource and climate change concerns, the net zero building movement has gathered significant momentum. But awareness alone isn’t sufficient. The impactful change will only be realized when key industry stakeholders come together to raise confidence in the feasibility of net zero targets and identify the triggers needed to translate intent into action. With its MENA Regional Network, the WorldGBC provides a proven platform for such collaboration and AESG is proud to play an increasingly prominent role in this forum,” said Al Abbar.
By signing on as a Strategic MENA Regional Partner to the WorldGBC, AESG will offer its expertise to help shape key green building programs and initiatives undertaken by the Council such as its Net Zero Readiness Framework for the MENA Region. The company will also have the opportunity to tap into WorldGBC’s expansive network of government, corporate, and NGO partners to identify industry best practices from across the globe that can be effectively introduced into the region.
This builds on ongoing efforts by AESG to advance the decarbonization of the region’s construction sector. Last year, the firm launched its free-to-use ‘Pathway to Net Zero’ which provides developers, designers, and contractors with a consolidated, accessible, and pragmatic design pathway for targeting Net Zero Carbon developments. The firm has a dedicated Net Zero Carbon Consultancy service line which brings together an expert team of engineers, carbon consultants, modelers, and ESG specialists to help solve the Zero Carbon Challenge. And with its qualified sustainability and LEED consultants, AESG enables developments across the region, such as Dubai’s iconic ICD Brookfield Place, to achieve their carbon neutrality and net zero emission goals.
Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council said, “At WorldGBC, our global network of 75+ Green Building Councils recognizes that to effectively accelerate the transition to a decarbonized and sustainable built environment, we need deep collaboration across the entire building and construction value chain, and we need bold leaders who are willing to turn talk into action.”
AESG’s Partner and Global Director of Strategy and Advisory Katarina Uherova Hasbani commented on this partnership saying “AESG is honored to partner with one of the world’s leading organizations in decarbonisation of the built environment, the World Green Building Council, to advance net zero in the Middle East. We are committed to this path and supporting our clients and partners via our deep technical expertise”.
“AESG is a long-standing partner of WorldGBC and an ally in our mission to halve the built environment’s emissions by 2030, and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. We are proud to deepen our work with AESG as they join our Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Network as regional partner. I look forward to drawing on their expertise to enhance the strategic initiatives we are developing with our MENA Green Building Councils to address some of the region’s most pressing social and environmental concerns,” Gamboa added.
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