The 7th Ajman International Environment Conference concluded, held over two days under the theme "Climate-Neutral City by 2050," under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman. The conference concluded its activities yesterday (Wednesday), endorsing 8 recommendations that support international efforts to achieve climate neutrality and green financing for sustainable projects.
In addition, Abdul Rahman Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Municipality and Planning Department in Ajman, honored several schools that won the Environmental Sustainability Innovation competition. The competition aims to encourage innovation in sustainable development and address climate change challenges. He also recognized several speakers who participated in the conference sessions and events.
The conference witnessed the attendance of 1500 participants and 28 speakers in sessions and workshops, representing more than 15 countries.
8 recommendations for "Climate-Neutral Cities"
The conference endorsed 8 recommendations supporting international efforts to achieve the formation of "Zero-Emission Cities." The first recommendation included enhancing energy efficiency, traffic flow management, waste management, and resource allocation using smart energy systems that leverage artificial intelligence and renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy. The second recommendation emphasized integrating biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration into urban planning and infrastructure development, implementing circular economy principles, and reducing waste generation to produce positive environmental solutions.
The third recommendation called for investment in resilient infrastructure to withstand climate change impacts, early warning systems, and advanced climate modeling to protect vulnerable communities from extreme weather events and sea-level rise. The fourth recommendation focused on enhancing social integration, improving workforce skills, and meeting the needs of vulnerable populations to ensure a fair and equitable transition to a net-zero emissions future.
The fifth recommendation urged facilitating access to green financing for sustainable projects by increasing public and private climate finance. The sixth recommendation emphasized the importance of enhancing international cooperation through organizing seminars, conferences, and participating in training courses to exchange best practices, accelerate technology transfer, and collectively address global climate challenges.
The seventh recommendation highlighted the importance of promoting sustainable lifestyles, including reducing energy consumption, adopting environmentally friendly habits, and supporting sustainable businesses. The eighth recommendation emphasized assisting in enhancing transparency and accountability through ensuring transparent systems for monitoring, reporting, and verification to track progress, hold stakeholders accountable, and build trust in climate action efforts.
The Environmental Sustainability Innovation Competition
Abdul Rahman Al Nuaimi, Director General of the Municipality and Planning Department in Ajman, honored the winning schools of the Environmental Sustainability Innovation Competition. The competition aims to encourage innovation in sustainable development, address climate change challenges, and support student interest in sustainability. It also aims to raise environmental awareness among students about sustainability goals related to the environment.
The competition saw 126 entries from approximately 350 students representing 52 schools. It revolves around presenting ideas and projects that serve sustainability and address climate change. The focus is on building physical models or initial prototypes that offer sustainable solutions to environmental issues.
This competition revolves around transforming innovative ideas into tangible functional models in waste management, carbon neutrality, climate change, and sustainability.
School of the Emirates National School in Sharjah won first place for their project on automated agriculture. The second place was awarded to Zayed Educational Complex for South Dhait (Phases 2 and 3) for their smart waste basket project. Meanwhile, Al Hajaraya School (Phases 2 and 3) secured third place for their Solar Scanner project.
Abdul Rahman Al Nuaimi also honored several speakers at the conference sessions and workshops, thanking them for their dedicated efforts and for sharing insights and ideas that contribute to supporting sustainability efforts and the transition towards zero-emission cities. Their contributions were instrumental in achieving the goals of this year's conference session.