Industry Forums 2023

Global energy systems are changing rapidly as countries seek to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, diversify power sources, decarbonise and ensure energy security. Many countries have implemented clean and renewable energy targets that will help them meet future net-zero ambitions.

The Solar & Clean Energy Forum will focus on the dynamic energy transition that is taking place throughout the sector. It will discuss the strategies being put in place by energy leaders and provide tangible insights into how these are being implemented.  

Growing awareness of the circular economy is creating new benefits in the way waste is being dealt with. The EcoWaste Forum explores how waste management is becoming more sustainable, embracing circular principles, and where this is not possible, exploring zero landfill options, such as waste to energy initiatives.

The Forum will explore how companies can introduce circularity to their operations, minimisation strategies for waste, the role of technology to provide greater insights into waste management and ways to gain commercial value from waste.

In water stressed GCC countries, the demands on water are increasing through population growth, industrialisation and farming. Countering this, are improvements within the water network, better demand-side use and innovations in farming to optimise water resources.

The Water Forum will explore how governments are trying to balance demand with production, whilst also implementing new approaches that will cut the carbon cost of producing water, as they move towards net-zero targets. 

The Smart Cities Forum will discuss why countries need smart cities. It will look at how digital technologies, mobility and net zero targets will reshape our future interactions with both urban environments and buildings. Greater energy, transport and water efficiency, along with the need for independence, go hand-in-hand with smart city ideologies and improved livability.

New city developments springing up around the Gulf are taking ambition and design to new heights. Future mega cities will have a level of connectedness that could be only dreamed of in past years. Yet equally, the majority of existing built environments will still be standing in 50 years, and that too must meet end-user expectations around efficiency and comfort. 

Organisations understand the need to play their part in governmental decarbonisation strategies. But how do companies bridge the gap between ambition and tangible action? The Climate & Environment Forum explores the practical steps that companies can take to reduce their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.

The Forum will take a step-by-step approach to building a sustainability strategy that will help organisations understand how best to reduce their emissions and importantly, how to monitor those emissions. It will discuss how companies can build on their initial decarbonisation success, how they can promote sustainable practices internally and ways to work with their supply chain to ensure indirect emissions are also reduced.