Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a means of mitigating climate change by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from large point sources such as power plants and storing it safely underground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. The Living Planet report, conducted with the Global Footprint Network and the Zoological Society of London, put the UAE's per capita environmental footprint higher than those of Qatar, Denmark, Belgium and the United States. In order to reduce its carbon footprint, the UAE monitors the emission of gases that lead to the greenhouse effect and has reduced its per capita carbon emissions. The 2015 UAE State of Energy Report, which was published by the government in January and holds the most recent data, says the UAE produced almost 20 tonnes of CO2 emissions … If all government NDCs were in this range, warming could be held below, but not well below, 2°C and still be too high to be consistent with the Paris Agreement 1.5°C limit. In accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the UAE is a non-Annex 1 country and not obligated to reduce its emissions. The code is mandatory for all new buildings. The United Arab Emirates, the world's third-largest oil exporter, has one of the highest per capita carbon footprints in the world.

In 2005, the UAE ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Convention on Climate Change, becoming one of the first major oil-producing countries to do so. Knoema is the most comprehensive source of global decision-making data in the world. The UAE has one of the largest carbon footprints in the world. "Yet we are making real progress with our partners to encourage positive environmental change," he said.

Please visit our Water pollution, especially in the developing world, is also mentioned as an issue; an estimated two million tonnes of sewage and other pollutants draining into the world's waters every day, according to the report.Gargash: UAE-Israel deal a 'death blow' to annexation of Palestine France and Greece hold joint manoeuvres to check TurkeyReturning UAE residents offer tips and tell others not to give up hopeAl Hijri: UAE to mark Islamic New Year with public holidayThe message hidden in Ras Al Khaimah's ancient Jewish tombstoneAl Hijri: UAE to mark Islamic New Year with public holidayUAE residents stuck abroad no longer need approval to returnCause of Ajman fire expected to be released this weekEntering the UAE: What do the immigration changes mean?Al Hijri: UAE to mark Islamic New Year with public holidayUAE residents stuck abroad no longer need approval to returnCause of Ajman fire expected to be released this weekEntering the UAE: What do the immigration changes mean? The deregulation of energy prices is an important element to limiting emissions growth, but alone not sufficient to stop the emissions rise.The UAE’s NDC does not provide an economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target. No “role model” rating has been developed for the sectors.

"This is to be expected, given that the UAE is a rapidly developing country that is investing heavily in construction, infrastructure development, provision of water, electricity and food, which has resulted in an increasing rate of consumption of natural resources, particularly energy," said Razan al Mubarak, the managing director of the Emirates Wildlife Society - World Wide Fund for Nature. The burning of fossil fuels accounts for the largest portion of the footprint.

In 2014, Dubai launched the Smart City strategy, focusing on 1,000 government services and development in 6 main areas including transportation, infrastructure, communications, financial services, urban planning and electricity. Though United Arab Emirates CO2 emissions per capita fluctuated substantially in recent years, it tended to decrease through 1999 - 2018 period ending at 22.44 metric tons in 2018.

In 2010, the UAE Cabinet approved the Green Building and Sustainable Building standards to be applied across the country.