Abu Dhabi: The Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has launched the Carbon Calculator, which is intended to assist all hotels in the emirate in monitoring and measuring the amount of carbon emission sources they use at the Arabian Travel Market 2024. The goal of the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategic program is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and the Carbon Calculator will help with this goal.
To lower the carbon footprint of the industry over time, the Calculator will provide hotels access to a dashboard to identify key areas of high consumption, especially within energy and water consumption. The Calculator’s methodology has been developed in consultation with representatives from the hotel industry as well as several government stakeholders including the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and the Department of Energy Abu Dhabi (DoE). EAD played an advisory role on the GreenHouse Gases (GHGs) accounting methodology and tools, and this initiative is consistent with the EAD’s Green Business Network.
By tracking indicators such as consumption of fuel, gas, electricity, and water and converting this data into a standardized unit of measurement (kgCO2e), the tool facilitates analysis across the industry. The Calculator will aid DCT Abu Dhabi in recognizing top-performing hotels and supporting those with higher consumption to gradually reduce emissions.
This initiative aligns with emirate-wide decarbonization efforts, as well as incentivizing the adoption of solutions such as retrofitting. It also provides a blueprint for expanding carbon footprint accounting in the tourism industry for other sectors, such as events, cultural sites or entertainment attractions.
HE Saleh Mohammed Al Geziry, Director General of Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, said that, “The launch of the Carbon Calculator is a significant milestone for Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry and will help shape a greener future for our tourism sector, in line with our leadership’s vision of transforming the emirate into a carbon-neutral destination by 2050. By empowering hotels to assess and own their environmental impact, we are encouraging the adoption of eco-friendly tourism practices to ultimately attract a higher number of environmentally conscious tourists.”
With an emphasis on collaboration and collective action, all Abu Dhabi hotels are mandated to use the Carbon Calculator and submit their consumption data, with mandatory monthly reporting being implemented across the industry. By logging in and submitting their emissions data, hotels will gain invaluable insights through dynamic dashboards, which will help inform and prioritize sustainability efforts. Hotels in Abu Dhabi are mandated to register themselves on the Calculator and verify their data, with DCT Abu Dhabi aiming to onboard all hotels in the emirate.