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Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, today announced BP as the “Official Carbon Offset Partner” for Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), a yearly event that unites the international community in an effort to address the interconnected challenges of energy and water security, climate risk and sustainable development. ADSW, held 17-24 January, includes the World Future Energy Summit (WFES), the International Water Summit (IWS) and EcoWaste Exhibition.
BP’s not-for-profit carbon management programme, BP Target Neutral, will offset the carbon impact of delegate travel and operations for ADSW. For more than 32,000 delegates travelling to Abu Dhabi, BP Target Neutral will calculate the carbon footprint resulting from their travel. It will then purchase carbon credits and invest in carbon mitigation projects around the world to offset the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from travel and event operations.
“Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week brings together the international community – from researches to investors – to drive cross-sector, public-private action that promotes sustainable growth, while addressing resource security and climate risk,” said Dr. Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Masdar. “The partnership with BP helps us to unite global stakeholders, drive forward solutions and reduce our carbon footprint.”
Abdulkarim AlMazmi, president and general manager for BP UAE, said: “BP Target Neutral helps ‘reduce, replace and neutralize’ carbon emissions and will enable Masdar to achieve a lower-carbon event in Abu Dhabi. It also raises awareness about the impact travel choices have on carbon emissions and offers solutions to reduce and offset them. We are delighted to have this opportunity to be a partner of Masdar again.
“BP has been a supporter of Masdar since its launch in 2006. This partnership demonstrates BP’s commitment to Abu Dhabi and its diversification agenda, and our interest to support Abu Dhabi’s 2030 environmental vision. We encourage individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint, using carbon efficient travel options such as the shuttle buses for Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week,” AlMazmi added.
With major international events such as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 already to its credit, an independent report by Thomson Reuters Point Carbon said BP Target Neutral “sets a new bar for the major events industry and BP should be congratulated for its programme design in this regard.”
Independent research by Imperial College London and ICROA, the carbon offsetting industry body, shows that communities where carbon initiative projects are based can receive as much as $664 in co-benefits for every one tonne offset. For the offsetting of ADSW, that represents $2.4 million already directed in benefits such as employment and biodiversity protection.
In addition to the WFES, IWS and EcoWaste, ADSW features the seventh Zayed Future Energy Prize Award Ceremony and also coincides with the Fifth General Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
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