Overview

There are many opportunities for U.S. exporters in the clean tech and environmental technologies sectors in the UAE, and the UAE is investing billions of dollars in major projects in these sectors. The UAE’s per capita energy and water consumption are among the highest in the world and the UAE is one of the world’s most water-scarce nations. With limited natural freshwater resources, the country relies on desalinated seawater.

The UAE has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with interim targets including a 32% renewable energy share by 2030 and a 47% reduction in emissions by 2035. These targets are reflected in the UAE’s updated National Net Zero Pathway and Energy Strategy 2050. In line with these commitments, the UAE enacted the 2024 Climate Change Law and established a national carbon credit registry to enforce emissions reporting and enable carbon market mechanisms. The country is actively expanding its clean energy infrastructure, notably in solar, nuclear, hydrogen, and carbon capture technologies. The UAE also operates the climate investment fund Alterra, which it launched with an initial commitment of $30 billion in December 2023.

The UAE’s Vision 2021 sets ambitious goals for the nation to become a global model and leader in sustainability under the “Green Economy for Sustainable Development” initiative. Under this initiative, the UAE aims to:

• Increase the share of renewable, clean, and alternative sources of energy in the energy mix.
• Establish recycling and waste management industries, including waste-to-energy plants.
• Develop efficient reverse osmosis seawater desalination plants to replace older, energy-intensive plants.
• Improve water efficiency through “reduce and reuse” initiatives.
• Implement standards in the construction and management of buildings.

The UAE and local governments in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have launched various platforms and initiatives to engage businesses to share knowledge and best practices.
 

Leading Sub-Sectors

Water and Wastewater Treatment

Water technologies are a major opportunity, and the UAE plans to invest billions of dollars in new facilities in coming years. The UAE has limited natural groundwater and freshwater resources and regulations restrict groundwater use. The UAE uses thermal desalination as its main process to make seawater potable, in addition to some plants using reverse osmosis technology. The process of extraction, desalination, and transportation of water has increased water and energy consumption. Abu Dhabi’s Department of Energy is working on improving the efficiency of desalination plants to enhance the country’s water security agenda. Similarly, Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC) plans to invest in desalination projects that are innovative and energy-efficient to increase production with lower carbon emissions.

The UAE launched the Water Security Strategy 2036 to ensure sustainability and continuous access to water during normal and emergency conditions. This strategy was developed to implement and integrate water resources management, increase water-use efficiency across all sectors, improve water quality by reducing pollution, and increase recycling and the safe reuse of treated water.

The UAE faces wastewater management challenges and is expected to expand the reuse of water and collection and treatment of wastewater outside urban areas. Similar to waste management, wastewater is managed and coordinated through individual local authorities and municipalities in each emirate.

The government is seeking new technologies to recycle wastewater and improve wastewater treatment. Treated wastewater currently caters to the industrial and agricultural requirements of the country. Developing and expanding wastewater collection and treatment networks are key in the effort to manage scarce water resources. One of the crucial projects undertaken by Abu Dhabi’s Sewerage and Services Company is the Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Program to collect and treat wastewater discharged from residential, commercial, and industrial buildings in Abu Dhabi to increase the capacity for wastewater collection and treatment.

Waste Management and Recycling

Waste management has been an issue for the UAE and gaps remain in policies, infrastructure, and processes. Waste management is coordinated through individual local authorities and municipalities in each emirate. The UAE’s waste generation has been increasing rapidly due to economic progress and population growth.

As part of its Green Growth Strategy, the UAE aims to achieve a 75% recovery rate of processed municipal solid waste. To boost private sector engagement and coordinate strategies to reduce significant impacts to the environment, Dubai Law No. 18 of 2024 was issued to regulate waste management. The law covers waste separation, collection, transport, storage, reuse, recycling, treatment, and disposal. Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) also opened waste collection centers and launched a National Waste Management Database to help coordinate efforts across emirates.Tadweer expanding material recovery facilities and launching public awareness campaigns, though challenges remain in streamlining collection, segregation, and end-use recycling capacity.

Air Pollution Mitigation

UAE cities have moderate-to-poor air quality due to airborne sand, dust from the surrounding desert, and transportation and industrial pollution, which create air quality-related health risks. In addition to developing and implementing policies to regulate industrial emissions, MoCCAE and several emirate-level environment authorities operate the National Air Quality Platform monitoring program and related UAE air quality index smart app. These tools work together to provide the UAE public with real-time air quality data gathered from monitoring stations across the country.

In 2019, MoCCAE published the UAE’s first National Air Emissions Inventory Report to guide future air quality policies and serve as a baseline for targeted reduction major air pollutants. In September 2022, the UAE launched the National Air Quality Agenda 2031 to provide a general framework to monitor and effectively manage air quality and reduce air pollution. While the UAE has made significant progress in air quality management in recent years, indoor and outdoor air pollution remains a priority issue with opportunities in research and development, healthcare cooperation, and technology sharing.

Opportunities

U.S. companies that offer environmental technology products and solutions can find many opportunities in the UAE.
Key opportunities related to water and wastewater treatment include:

• Industrial wastewater treatment and brine reduction technologies.
• Next generation water desalination (energy-efficient, low-emission).
• Samrt water monitoring systems.
• Underground water storage.

Key areas of opportunities for technologies related to waste management and recycling include:

• Waste handling
• Composting
• Recycling
• Waste-to-energy

Key areas of opportunities for technologies related to air quality include:

• Air pollution and air quality.
• Emission measurement, monitoring, and analysis.
• Leak detection.
• Analytical and laboratory testing equipment.

Resources

Trade Shows and Exhibitions 
Please contact us for additional information regarding trade shows and export promotion services that may be available for U.S. companies.
Water Energy Technology Environment Exhibition (WETEX)
Date: September 30 – October 2, 2025
Venue: Dubai, UAE

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW)
Date: January 11-17, 2026
Venue: Abu Dhabi, UAE

World Future Energy Summit (WFES)
Date: January 13-15, 2026
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC), Abu Dhabi, UAE