The abundance of oil and gas has pushed the United Arab Emirates towards a model of unbridled consumption, incompatible with the fight against greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for global warming. But not all Dubai residents love this lifestyle.
“Ah yes, obviously we have to take the plane to visit our loved ones. It hampers all our efforts!” On the 25th floor of a tower in a business district of Dubai, around ten people gathered in a windowless room to face a reality, without filter: their carbon footprint. A few days before the opening of COP28, Thursday November 30, they completed an online questionnaire, in order to assess the impact of their lifestyle on greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore on global warming. And on this warm winter morning – outside temperature: 28°C – they take part in a “2 tonnes” workshop, a fun seminar which allows them to “play”, using cards, to drastically reduce their carbon footprint. by taking political, economic or even domestic measures. The workshop is led by a Frenchwoman, Marion Désormeaux, a former marketing manager converted to environmental education.
And in Dubai, a world city where barely more than 10% of the population is made up of Emirati citizens, there is work. With its cheeky skyscrapers, its air-conditioned shopping centers and its title of “influencer paradise”, the “city of gold” embodies the excesses of an over-carbon world, which was built at lightning speed on the extraordinary oil and gas revenue from the United Arab Emirates. In 2021, on average, a resident of the Emirates emitted 21.8 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq), according to the Our World in Data website, compared to 4.7 tonnes for a French person.
Excesses that are less and less bearable for many Dubai residents. More discreet than the social media stars who took the city by storm, they are also determined to use their influence to save the planet.
Paid carpooling prohibited
“The children’s school is 25 km from the house. That’s already 50 km round trip that we can only do by car.” Christine and Rym work in French multinationals, Asmaa is a Franco-Moroccan chef, Namrata, an entrepreneur… Although they exercise responsibilities, they all share their helplessness when it comes, for the purposes of the game, to decarbonize their transport . Faced with the constraints of a city organized for cars and where temperatures flirt with 50°C in summer, “be careful not to believe that electric cars are a magic solution”points out Aoife, an Irish woman with delicate features, glasses tucked up in her short hair. “Already, people are going to buy huge Teslas and not small models. That doesn’t make sense. Especially since the batteries are very resistant to the heat we experience here”she notes.
“In the Emirates, unlike France, the vast majority of electricity is produced with gas, completes Marion Désormeaux. With electricity that is not decarbonized, changing our car for an electric vehicle will not necessarily help us achieve our goal, which is to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels as much as possible.”
And carpooling? “It’s forbidden, right?” Aoife remarks. In the Emirates, you cannot pay an individual to share a seat, even if the practice exists, discreet and confined to Facebook groups. So what ? Eco-driving? “Ah, that, with these red lights everywhere in this city, it’s really useful!”, reacts Christine, while Marion presents to the participants what their virtual efforts have saved.
Air conditioning, essential but perfectible
The household of Nasim, a young Iranian engineer, went from consuming 13 to 10 tonnes of CO2eq. “What? But how did you do it?” Coralie asks, incredulous. The young woman reveals the secret of her carbon diet with a big smile. On the card she chose, we can read: “Improve the energy efficiency of air conditioning.” “Ah yes, air conditioning! Of course !” Another non-negotiable, but perfectible, local constraint. “An air conditioning that is not maintained causes air leaks.hydrofluorocarbona powerful greenhouse gas”confirms Marion.
Christine saw the footprint of her household melt away by agreeing to replace beef with mutton or lamb, consumed in moderation. “Stopping all meat, really, it’s too hard. But in fact, it’s okay”she notes, ready to bring home proof through play that this small gesture has a big impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
It is time for Marion to remind us that “Individual actions count, but also collective actions.” She deals out new cards. Infrastructure, investments, education, funds for the protection of agriculture, forests… “This time you are in the shoes of a government.”
A networked ecology
In Dubai, there is no political party. The right to vote is restricted to a handful of citizens and demonstrations are strictly prohibited. More than elsewhere, beliefs are expressed through consumption choices. “I received messages from people who were afraid to move to Dubai for fear that there was nothing in terms of zero waste”says Olivia Bou Antoun. This French woman living in the emirate for nine years lived here “the awakening of [sa] ecological awareness. Former employee of an insurance giant, she began by providing advice and good tips for responsible consumption on Instagram. In 2022, she launched a start-up manufacturing and distributing her ecological laundry detergent, which she is presenting this afternoon in an elegant boutique, during a Christmas market. “There is clearly a demand for this type of service”she assures.
“People who move to Dubai come from everywhere and bring their mindset with them. It’s difficult for them to learn, for example, that you can’t drink tap water – which is desalinated – and start buying plastic bottles.”
Olivia Bou Antoun, entrepreneur in Dubaiat franceinfo
In Dubai, notes Olivia Bou Antounmore and more “expats” receive with perplexity the advice and judgments of Europeans, quick to accuse all Dubai residents of contempt for the destiny of the planet, doomed to warming through their unbridled consumption. “Do your shopping on foot, take your bike to pick up two or three groceries in your neighborhood like you can do in cities in France… It doesn’t work like that here, she smiles. We must offer a service that makes life easier. Even with an excellent product, it would be absurd to expect customers to come to the store to fill their detergent pot!”continues the business manager, who delivers to her customers in the desired quantity every two months.
In a city where tank trucks fill you up with gasoline at home, “everyone is used to having groceries delivered”, she explains, pragmatically. “The whole world associates Dubai with its huge shopping centers, excessive shopping, etc. But it’s not really part of our daily life.” she corrects, noting that the city has a gigantic second-hand network, fueled by the comings and goings of expatriate workers. Books in several languages, furniture, maternity clothes… Contrary to the frenetic consumption sought by certain tourists, “There are tons of WhatsApp groups where residents exchange tips and good deals for consuming responsibly.” But, faced with the weight of the image of a Dubai as brilliant as it is destructive, are the eco-friendly Dubaiites heard? “We sow seeds,” smiles Olivia Bou Antoun. From your business to your home, from your home to your community, from your community to your network… That’s also what being an influencer is all about.