Sustainability and Caring for the Planet

The lessons at a glance

1. Climate change: the basics

Climate change will shape the world you work and live in, from summer heat in the Gulf to the jobs on offer when you graduate. Understanding the core science helps you cut through noise and argue from evidence.

• Human activity has unequivocally caused global warming (IPCC).
• The world was 1.1C warmer in 2011 to 2020 than in 1850 to 1900.
• One year above 1.5C is not the same as missing the Paris goal; it is measured over decades.
• Burning fossil fuels is the main source of CO2.
• This decade's choices matter most.

2. Water in the UAE

The UAE has almost no rivers and very little rain, yet water flows from every tap. Knowing where it comes from, and what it costs to make, changes how you think about a long shower.

• About 42 per cent of UAE water needs are met by around 70 desalination plants (u.ae).
• Making fresh water from seawater uses a lot of energy.
• The 2036 strategy aims to cut total water demand by 21 per cent.
• Short showers, aerators and turning off taps make a measurable difference.

3. Energy at home and air conditioning

In a Gulf summer, air conditioning is not a luxury, but it is also the biggest energy user in most homes. Small settings and habits can cut use noticeably without making you uncomfortable.

• DEWA recommends 24C or higher.
• Each degree higher can save up to 5 per cent of AC use (DEWA).
• Curtains, sealed gaps, clean filters and fans all help.
• Efficient appliances and good habits cut both bills and emissions.

4. Waste, recycling and the UAE's plastic rules

The UAE has been phasing out single-use plastics in stages since 2024, and the rules affect what you can buy and how shops pack it. Knowing the rules, and how to recycle properly, means your efforts actually count.

• Reduce and reuse first; recycle last.
• UAE-wide plastic bag ban from 2024; wider single-use plastic ban from 1 January 2026.
• Recycle clean, empty items only, and check local rules.
• Batteries and electronics need special collection.

5. Fast fashion and buying better

Cheap, trendy clothes can be bought in a tap and binned in a season. Learning how fashion affects the planet helps you build a wardrobe you love, spend less, and still look good.

• Fashion causes 2 to 8 per cent of global emissions (UNEP).
• A rubbish truck of clothes is burnt or landfilled every second (Ellen MacArthur Foundation).
• Buy less, buy second-hand, rent for occasions.
• Wearing clothes longer is the single most useful step.

6. Food waste: buy, store and use it well

Food waste wastes the water, energy and money that went into growing, shipping and buying it. Most of it happens at home, which means you can do something about it.

• About a fifth of food is wasted, and 60 per cent of that is in homes (UNEP 2024).
• The UAE aims to halve food loss and waste by 2030 (Ne'ma).
• Use-by is safety; best before is quality.
• Plan, store, freeze and share to waste less.

7. Nature in the UAE

The UAE is not just desert and skyline. Its mangroves, seagrass meadows, reefs and wetlands are home to flamingos, turtles and the world's second-largest dugong population, and young people can help protect them.

• Mangroves protect coasts, shelter young fish and store carbon.
• Abu Dhabi has the world's second-largest dugong population.
• Protected areas and restoration are helping fish stocks recover.
• The Arabian oryx shows conservation can bring a species back.

8. Taking action without anxiety

Feeling worried about the planet is common and understandable. The aim is not to stop caring, but to turn worry into action that is useful, shared and sustainable for you.

• Worry about the planet is common and understandable.
• Action and community reduce helplessness.
• Collective action multiplies individual effort.
• If worry starts affecting daily life, talk to someone you trust.

Talk about it, then try it

The real-life practice tasks from each lesson. Pick one or two a week and agree when you will check in.

1. Climate change: the basics
   • Read the 'Headline statements' at the top of the IPCC Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers (one page) and write down the three that surprise you most.
   • Next time you see a climate claim on social media, check it against NASA's evidence page or the IPCC summary before sharing it.
   • Ask an older relative what summers were like when they were your age, and compare their memory with the temperature data.
2. Water in the UAE
   • Do the 1 litre bottle test on your shower and calculate your litres per minute and your usual shower total.
   • Time your next three showers and aim to bring each one under 5 minutes.
   • Check every tap at home for drips and an aerator; tell whoever handles repairs about any problems.
3. Energy at home and air conditioning
   • Check the thermostat settings in your home and, with your family's agreement, set the main rooms to 24C for one week.
   • Find the AC filters (or ask the building maintenance team) and find out when they were last cleaned.
   • Walk round your home in the evening and switch off anything left running in empty rooms; note what you found.
4. Waste, recycling and the UAE's plastic rules
   • Pack a reusable kit (bottle, cup, bag, cutlery) and use it every day for a week.
   • Find out what your building or nearest recycling point accepts, and set up a small, clearly labelled recycling box at home.
   • Collect old batteries and dead electronics in your home and take them to a proper collection point.
5. Fast fashion and buying better
   • Count the items in your wardrobe you have not worn in the last six months, and decide which to wear, repair, swap or donate.
   • Organise a clothes swap with three or more friends.
   • Before your next clothing purchase, apply the 30 wears test and a 48 hour wait.
6. Food waste: buy, store and use it well
   • Keep a food waste diary for one week at home: write down everything thrown away and why.
   • Plan one 'use it up' meal using only what is already in the fridge.
   • Sort your fridge so the items with the nearest use-by dates are at the front.
7. Nature in the UAE
   • Visit a mangrove, wetland or nature reserve near you, or explore one online, and identify three species.
   • Learn which fish species are considered sustainable choices in the UAE and share the list with your family.
   • Write down one fact about dugongs or the Arabian oryx and share it with a younger sibling or friend.
8. Taking action without anxiety
   • Choose one action from UNEP's '10 ways' that you can do this week, and one you can persuade your family or friends to do with you.
   • Find an upcoming clean-up or tree-planting event (for example on EEG's website), check the details with a parent and sign up.
   • Set a daily limit for climate news and choose two reliable sources to follow.

Quiz

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________ Circle one answer for each question.

Answer key

1. D: IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report: human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming.
2. D: IPCC: global surface temperature reached 1.1C above 1850 to 1900 in 2011 to 2020.
3. C: u.ae: about 42 per cent of the total water requirement comes from some 70 major desalination plants.
4. B: u.ae: the strategy aims to reduce total demand for water resources by 21 per cent.
5. A: DEWA: keep your thermostat set at 24C, or higher.
6. B: DEWA: each degree increase in set point temperature can save up to 5 per cent on AC consumption.
7. D: The National, reporting the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment: the ban covers items including beverage cups and lids, cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers and Styrofoam containers.
8. A: Dubai Municipality: phase 1 banned single-use plastic bags from 1 January 2024.
9. A: UNEP: the fashion industry accounts for 2 to 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
10. B: Ellen MacArthur Foundation: every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truckload of clothes is burnt or buried in landfill.
11. B: UNEP Food Waste Index 2024: households were responsible for 631 million tonnes, about 60 per cent of food waste.
12. B: GOV.UK: use-by dates relate to safety; do not eat food after its use-by date.
13. B: UNEP: Abu Dhabi has the world's second-largest dugong population, with only Australia believed to have more.
14. A: UNEP: restoration targets the seagrass beds dugongs graze on; dugongs are the ocean's only herbivorous mammal.
15. D: Wikipedia, Eco-anxiety: it is described as a challenging emotional response and not a medical diagnosis; severe cases can affect mental health.
16. A: Hickman et al. 2021, as summarised on Wikipedia's Eco-anxiety page: almost 60 per cent were very or extremely worried.

General information only, written from the sources listed in each online lesson. Laws, numbers and services change, so check official sources. Life-Ready Society, https://lifereadysociety.com/sustainability/