News

Dubai Unveils Plans For Climate-Controlled Cycling Highway

The city aims to promote walking and cycling as primary modes of transport for residents by 2040.

Published

3 years ago

February 1, 2023

Nour Nasir

dubai unveils plans for climate-controlled cycling highway

URB

When it comes to sustainable modes of transport, countries like the Netherlands have it pretty easy with their temperate climates. On the other hand, the sweltering heat of the Middle East isn’t ideal for cycling or walking to the office.

Arab countries, therefore, need to think outside the box when implementing sustainable (think car-free) forms of transportation, especially if they aim to meet emissions targets as we head toward 2030 and beyond.

A recent announcement by Dubai authorities provides a glimpse into a different green future. City planners have recently unveiled a 93-km climate-controlled cycling highway, named The Loop, with the aim of making cycling and walking to work feasible for up to 80% of residents by the year 2040.

Dubai-based sustainable developer URB is leading the project, and the route will feature a “climate-controlled all-year environment” to make walking and cycling more viable for residents, in line with the Emirate’s 20-minute city initiative.

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The elaborate cycle track is currently still at the R&D stage but is already set to feature leisure and community spaces along its length, providing “an enjoyable mode of sustainable transport, no matter the weather conditions,” the development team said in a recent statement.

In November 2022, URB won two contracts for cycling paths in Dubai’s Al Khawaneej and Mushrif, which form part of a 278-km cycling masterplan for the region. The team will use their experience to develop the new climate-controlled urban highway.

News

United Arab Emirates To Quit OPEC After 59 Years

Abu Dhabi’s exit clears the way for higher oil output as production limits and Gulf supply risks test the producer group.

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2026

Joanna Melki

united arab emirates to quit opec after 59 years

The UAE will leave OPEC and OPEC+ on May 1, 2026, ending a 59-year membership and changing its role in global energy markets.

The decision was announced in a government statement carried by state news agency WAM after what Abu Dhabi described as a broad review of its production policy and capacity. The statement said the move reflects “the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile”.

For Abu Dhabi, the break removes a quota system that had become harder to justify. OPEC’s production limits are meant to support prices by holding back supply. That model fits economies more exposed to oil revenue. The UAE says its non-oil economy now accounts for about 75 percent of GDP, while ADNOC (The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) has spent heavily to lift crude capacity.

It does not plan an immediate surge in production. The UAE said it would bring more barrels to market “in a gradual and measured manner, aligned with demand and market conditions”. It also pointed to continued spending on oil, gas, renewables and low-carbon technologies.

The market reaction was swift. Brent crude, the European benchmark, moved above $100 per barrel for the first time since April 8 and reached $111 as of writing.

The timing is awkward for OPEC. Iraq, Kazakhstan and the UAE have all produced above agreed quotas in recent months and faced pressure to compensate. The UAE is the group’s third-largest producer. Its departure follows Qatar’s exit in 2019 and comes as OPEC prepared for a meeting in Vienna on Wednesday.

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There’s also the Strait of Hormuz issue. The statement referred to disruption linked to the conflict with Iran, which has sharply restricted tanker movement through the waterway between Iran and Oman. Around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the route. The EIA estimates Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain kept 7.5 million barrels per day of crude output offline in March and 9.1 million in April.

Despite current volatility, the split hasn’t appeared from nowhere. In 2021, the UAE resisted an extension of production cuts unless its quota was raised, arguing that capacity investments were being constrained by outdated baselines. A compromise followed, but the dispute exposed the core issue: Abu Dhabi wanted to produce more than the system allowed.

Abu Dhabi is targeting 5 million barrels per day by 2027. Current production is around 3.4 million barrels per day, while the OPEC+ limit has held the country near 3.2 million despite capacity above 4 million.