When an advocate of environment and climate action receives an invitation to talk at an international investment conference, it would initially sound like a mistake. The shock only fades when you realize that you have been specifically invited because of your environmental work, to discuss ways to transform urban green spaces into sustainable investment opportunities. And you feel elated when you meet municipal executives and real estate developers who came to the conference from other countries specifically to discuss this aspect. Abu Dhabi, where the international AIM Investment Congress was held, is an ideal location to discuss linking integrated urban development with the environment and climate, combining heritage and modernity, and incorporating renewable energy, efficiency, resource conservation, and sustainable development policies in general, as central parts of its plans and programs.
Actually, there may be no better place than the UAE to discuss greening urban areas. In just a few years, its cities, particularly Abu Dhabi and Dubai, have transformed from barren wastelands into green oases. I remember what the nation's forefather, the visionary Sheikh Zayed, told me in a special interview with Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia magazine back in 1997 that he planted forests so that "humans and other creatures can enjoy them, while enhancing nature and ensuring proper environmental balance." He explained his vision saying that "if humans flourish while animals' livelihoods and nature's safety are not assured, this is unfair." What most surprised me in that interview was his conviction that afforestation and greening programs contribute to improving weather conditions and mitigating climate change. Such insightful vision, some thirty years ago, was ahead of its time, when climate change was just beginning to be discussed, and most of those forced to join climate action today were deniers.
Who are the potential investors in urban greening? Given that open green spaces—forests, gardens, parks, and public squares—are public assets and services, the public sector is primarily responsible for investing in them. However, greening, in addition to being a public service, makes green areas desirable for people to live and work in, which in turn attracts investment from the private sector and real estate developers. However, attracting the private sector to invest in greening barren areas and making them available to the public free of charge requires incentives, as investors expect a lucrative financial return. Possible measures would include granting investors in greening public lands exclusive rights, such as operating shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues for a certain number of years. However, this must be accompanied by strict restrictions to avoid greenwashing, by prohibiting companies from promoting their "green" labelled charity contribution in order to cover up their polluting acts and operations.
Greening programs in Arab cities must be governed by rules based on the nature and ecosystems of each country, mainly in a geographical region like the Arab world, with diverse characteristics, spanning from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf and the Horn of Africa. What works in Morocco differs from what works in the Levant, the Gulf desert, and the Nile Valley, not to mention the varying climatic conditions within each country. Remarkably, some cities that were historically green, blessed with temperate climates, sufficient natural water supplies, and fertile soil - such as Beirut, Cairo, and Alexandria - are losing their public parks and natural forests due to unbalanced urban expansion, uncontrolled commercial development by greedy investors, neglect, and inadequate government policies. Meanwhile, other cities located in previously barren areas have transformed into green oases. At the forefront of these transformations are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh, which have expanded their green cover to nearly 9 percent, well above the minimum recommended level for healthy cities.
More importantly, these cities have adopted the concept of a "circular economy" in greening their arid lands. They use treated wastewater for irrigation, which was previously wasted by being discharged into the sea. Abu Dhabi also pumps treated agricultural wastewater and gray water into groundwater wells to replenish their water supplies and preserve them as a strategic reserve.
At the Abu Dhabi meetings, an entrepreneur from Russia presented a technique his company developed that converts sludge from sewage treatment into an alternative to agricultural soil, after disinfecting it by using innovative methods. This makes wastewater recycling a circular process, transforming it into irrigation water and fertile agricultural soil. Successful adoption of this technology will save the UAE one million tons of agricultural soil annually, which it imports for land reclamation. It will also prevent environmental damage caused by discharging liquid and solid sewage waste.
Since sound public policies are the most important factor for the success of sustainable development programs, including urban greening, municipalities and local authorities should be required to allocate a minimum percentage of green public spaces within their jurisdiction. This should also be enforced on real estate developers and private sector projects, be it large complexes, buildings, or family homes. Incentives can also be provided to encourage the private sector to go some steps further, such as granting tax exemptions and increasing the built-up area for building permits, in exchange for the creation of gardens with trees and special plants on rooftops, as in cities like Geneva, where urban congestion makes vacant land scarce.
Development plans must also take into account water security considerations when developing greening and afforestation programs, in a region that is the scarcest in natural freshwater in the world. Since food security is inseparable from water security, all greening projects must include a certain percentage of trees and fruit-bearing plants suitable for human consumption, not only ornamental plants. These must be chosen to be compatible with the surrounding environment and require the least possible amount of water for irrigation.
Beyond the importance of greening cities to make them better places to live and improve the quality of life, we must preserve the unique ecosystem of the desert, which boasts a rich natural and human heritage that should be a source of pride not shame. We must also use technology wisely to help nature regenerate and continue to provide us with resources, instead of going against nature by destroying its unique assets and depleting its resources.
Ultimately, why not limit greening and afforestation in dry desert lands to inhabited urban areas, rather than creating forests where they do not belong, thus depleting scarce water resources and spoiling the natural ecosystem?
