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Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge slated from March 30 to April 6 has signed a deal to offset any environmental damage from the event.
The agreement was signed between Automobile and Touring Club of UAE (ATCUAE) with Carbon Credit brokerage, Advanced Global Trading (AGT), and considered to be the first of its kind in the region.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge involves over 360 vehicles from support teams, competitors and organisers participating across the spectacular terrain of the Liwa Desert.
The FIA’s environmental committee presented that a significant amount of CO2 emissions from such a large motorsport events were present, prompting the ATCUAE to offset these emissions with the support of AGT. An advocate of responsible motoring, Mohammed bin Sulayem, ATCUAE President and founder of the challenge, spearheaded this environmentally-aware agreement: “This challenging event takes place in a beautiful country with one of the most spectacular settings in the world, so we must take every measure to ensure the environment doesn’t suffer from our passion. To me it is very important that we take this step because it is in alliance with the UAE government’s vision regarding environmental awareness, especially since the event is held in Abu Dhabi, the host of the world energy summit. Also, the patron of this event Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed, is also the Chairman of the Environment Agency.”
Indeed, the UAE government is leading the region with regards to renewable energy and environmental awareness projects, with investments expected to tally up to $2.74 trillion by 2020. And Abu Dhabi is again hosting the World Energy Summit in January 2013.
Prior to every event, ATCUAE briefs all competitors about the potentially negative effects on the Western Region as a wildlife habitat. If they’re not responsible, such as with oil spills and changing filters during the race, there are heavy penalty points. The UAE’s environmental authorities are involved from the outset down to planning the route.
The Desert Challenge is held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s representative in the Western Region, and Chairman of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, with support from a number of key partners, including Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, Nissan and ADNOC.
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