Moving Forward in 2020: What the Arab World is Doing to Fight Climate Change
While several countries across the globe have been advocating on resource management, the Arab world has also been launching projects and initiatives to promote green practices and combat the impacts of climate change.
Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex
This project is part of the Moroccan Solar Energy Programme (NOOR), which includes five solar complexes with a combined capacity of approximately 2GW. The complex aims to reduce global carbon emissions by an estimated 760,000 tonnes annually and is the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant (CSP).
Plastic Bag Ban
In 2016, Morocco officially passed a law to ban the production, import, sale, and distribution of plastic bags in the country. The move is part of the country’s efforts to become more eco-friendly.
Benban Solar Park
Benban Solar Park in Upper Egypt’s Aswan is the largest solar park in Africa. The 1.8-GW complex at Benban is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 1.9 million tons a year and provide energy to around one million Egyptian homes.
‘Leave No Trace’ program
This Saudi initiative aims to preserve touristic places in the kingdom and protect the environment by encouraging tourists to keep the environment clean and not leave waste behind.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai could power as many as 1.3 million homes, reducing carbon emissions by 6.5 million tonnes annually. The project supports the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which aims to provide 70% of Dubai’s total power output from clean sources by 2050.
Bee’ah
Bee’ah Sharjah Environment Company LLC (Bee’ah) has the region’s first, and the world’s largest, gasification plant, which has the capacity to process approximately 160,000 tons of non-recyclable waste annually and can be used to power around 50,000 homes. Bee’ah has also implemented several initiatives and programs to promote the community’s awareness towards recycling.
Moving away from governmental projects, there have been several promising grassroots initiatives across the region to promote eco-friendly practices and integrate recycling and environmental conservation in people’s daily lives.
Go Clean
The project provides companies, factories and even households, an easy way to recycle plastics, metal and paper. All you have to do is separate your recyclables, contact Go Clean, and they would pick up your recyclables and exchange them for cash, depending on their weight. The initiative was founded by Mohammed Hamdy, an Egyptian alumnus from the American University in Cairo (AUC), in 2017.
Ziadat4Recycling
Ziadat4Recycling is a local organization in Jordan, founded by Alaa Ziadeh. The organization uses thrown out materials, recycles them, and creates trendy, eco-friendly furniture.
Verynile
Verynile was co-founded by two Egyptian startups; Greenish and Bassita, and aims to clean the River Nile through community events and activities. To date, the initiative has removed 33.5 tons of trash from the Nile.
Recyclobekia
Initiated by a team of university students, Recyclobekia is an electronic waste recycling company that partners with individuals and companies to recycle them at a factory, in an eco-friendly manner to be reused. The startup is based in Egypt but serves the entire MENA region.
