The 2026 EPI evaluates international locations throughout 47 efficiency signs grouped into 12 factor classes and 3 overarching coverage goals together with Environmental Well being, Ecosystem Power, and Local weather Exchange.
Dubai: The United Arab Emirates has ranked first amongst Arab international locations within the 2026 Environmental Efficiency Index (EPI), underscoring the good fortune of the country’s proactive, whole-of-society, and built-in authorities option to local weather motion, ecosystem energy, and environmental well being.
The 2026 EPI evaluates international locations throughout 47 efficiency signs grouped into 12 factor classes and 3 overarching coverage goals together with Environmental Well being, Ecosystem Power, and Local weather Exchange.
The UAE’s spectacular climb is attributed to robust, balanced scoring throughout those key pillars. The country has excelled through making an investment closely in environmental infrastructure, strengthening regulatory frameworks, and bridging vital knowledge gaps the usage of state-of-the-art applied sciences.
In a commentary, Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Local weather Exchange and Setting, mentioned, “The UAE’s environmental stewardship is not a recent development, but a core value woven into the nation’s fabric. Building on the enduring environmental legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his visionary recognition of the importance of protecting the environment and conserving natural resources, the UAE continues to reinforce this strategic approach across government institutions, the private sector, and society.
“This success is a testomony to tireless paintings, strategic investments, and a unified ‘whole-of-government’ and ‘whole-of-society’ means. From native communities and personal enterprises to federal entities, all the country has rallied round our ecological goals.
“Guided by Net Zero 2050 Strategy the UAE accelerated decarbonisation across all industrial sectors, cementing the UAE’s leadership in the global energy transition powered by effective national policies and strategic government investments, as well as collaboration among government entities, the private sector, and community supportive engagements reinforcing the country’s position as a global model for sustainability and environmental development.
“With one of the biggest photo voltaic crops on this planet we’re surroundings new benchmarks for the area and the arena in renewable power. Our adventure does now not forestall right here. We will be able to proceed to pioneer world requirements, proving that financial prosperity and environmental sustainability can and will have to pass hand in hand.”
The UAE completed a great rating of 100 in waste control, rating first on this class, underscoring that it successfully manages waste in a sustainable manner, controlling environmental dangers. Additionally scored 100 in backside trawling fisheries indicating that no sealife are stuck with backside trawling throughout the UAE’s maritime zones. The UAE had an EPI rating of 94.99% in wastewater remedy with the arena rank of nineteen.
The UAE additionally ranked first within the area and 9th globally for the safety of marine Key Biodiversity Spaces (KBAs), reflecting sustained funding in safeguarding vital ecosystems, whilst hanging 2nd within the area for marine habitat coverage, reaffirming the UAE’s endured dedication to maintaining its herbal marine atmosphere.
The UAE’s good fortune at the world level is guided through a sequence of strong, forward-looking methods designed to transition the rustic right into a low-carbon, round financial system. The UAE Power Technique 2050 goals to triple the contribution of renewable power and make investments AED150 to AED200 billion through 2030 to fulfill the rustic’s expanding call for for power because of a swiftly rising financial system.
From Noor Abu Dhabi to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sun Park, the UAE’s put in renewable power capability grew through 117% between 2022 and 2025, reflecting the rustic’s speedy acceleration in blank power deployment.
The country continues to set new regional and world benchmarks via landmark tasks, together with the just lately introduced US$6 billion, 5.2 GW photo voltaic photovoltaic undertaking built-in with a 19 GWh battery power garage machine (BESS) close to Abu Dhabi. Evolved through Masdar and EWEC, it’ll turn into the arena’s biggest steady solar-plus-storage facility in a position to turning in uninterrupted blank baseload energy across the clock. On the similar time, the UAE is advancing hydrogen applied sciences and positioning itself as a long run world hub for inexperienced hydrogen manufacturing and exports.
Water safety stays a countrywide precedence for the UAE, with endured funding in complex water control and sustainable desalination applied sciences. Landmark amenities reminiscent of Al Taweelah, one of the crucial global’s biggest opposite osmosis desalination crops, reveal the rustic’s dedication to bettering water potency, decreasing the environmental footprint of desalination, and strengthening long-term local weather resilience.
The UAE’s Nationwide Air High quality Schedule 2031 provides a complete framework that aligns federal, native, and personal sector entities to give protection to public well being and the surroundings. Constructed upon 3 core pillars from Tracking (the usage of complex sensor networks) to Mitigation (imposing strict emission controls), and Control (optimising city making plans and coverage), the schedule guarantees blank air stays a countrywide precedence.
The Round Economic system Coverage 2031 goals to advertise environmental well being, improve the personal sector in adopting blank manufacturing strategies and scale back herbal environmental rigidity, to reach the rustic’s imaginative and prescient to be an international pioneer of inexperienced construction.
The tactic makes a speciality of sustainable production, inexperienced infrastructure, and shutting useful resource loops around the nation.
The UAE’s biodiversity efforts are anchored in nature-based answers, maximum particularly its objective to plant 100 million mangrove timber through 2030. The country has already reached the midway mark through planting over 50 million mangroves around the seven emirates. Nowadays, terrestrial and marine safe spaces quilt greater than 19% of the UAE’s territory, safeguarding vital coastal and marine ecosystems.
The UAE’s speedy environmental development has been speeded up through its early adoption of Synthetic Intelligence (AI) and generation. To scale up afforestation, the country deploys AI-equipped, UAE-developed heavy-lift drones that exactly disperse customized mangrove seeds over difficult-to-reach coastal spaces.
Moreover, device studying methods and satellite tv for pc tracking are used to trace blue carbon sequestration, analyse seedling enlargement charges, and track air high quality patterns in real-time. This heavy funding in technological innovation has equipped the governance fashions and transparency had to optimise useful resource control on a countrywide scale.
Because the 2026 EPI highlights, wealth and environmental efficiency are extremely correlated globally, however strategic governance is what in point of fact units leaders aside. Thru its powerful environmental governance, formidable blank power deployment, and tech-driven conservation, the UAE has solidified its place as an international sustainability champion, surroundings a transparent blueprint for the area and the arena.
