The UK and the UAE have established a Net Zero 2050 target and the adoption of policies and practices to decarbonise the built environment will be critical to achieving this target in both markets. Knowledge-sharing, thought leadership and commercial collaboration between the UAE and the UK will also help unlock new initiatives for reducing the carbon impact of the construction sector. The design and implementation of building codes and regulations that incentivise retrofitting over demolition of built assets and that encourage the development and use of alternative and lower-carbon materials and sustainable industry practices, are essential to creating the change needed to decarbonise the industry. A policy and regulatory environment, linked with the unlocking of green financing for clients, developers and stakeholders, will also influence the market and drive the construction industry towards a lower carbon future. Data will play an increasingly significant role in measuring the environmental footprint of built assets throughout their lifespan, and improving methodologies for benchmarking and standardisation of data will help to more accurately draw comparisons between the UK and the UAE, and globally. AI will increasingly play a role in the capture and utilisation of increasingly precise data. The UAE and the UK will also benefit from sharing best practice in fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration across the private and public sectors, industry and academia to drive innovation and research, and improve policy and regulation to mitigate the negative environmental impact of the construction sector, and promote more sustainable practices that will keep both the UK and the UAE on track for Net Zero by 2050.

The UK and the UAE Should share expertise on how to optimise utilisation of the BASIC+ Framework of The Global Protocol for Community-Scale GHG Inventories for decarbonising the built environment through stakeholders such as The Society of Sustainability and Green Materials in the UAE and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in the UK.