Lush greenery surrounds Abu Dhabi Golf Club, home to the 18-hole National Course and nine-hole Garden Course.
The sprawling space in Khalifa City has a sleek clubhouse, dining options and used to be the site of the Abu Dubai HSBC Golf Championships.
Ahead of Cop28, the venue has begun to reduce its water usage, despite needing it to keep everything green. A new initiative involves reducing the amount of grass, and then concentrating on what remains to improve its quality and overall condition.
“The main reason behind reducing the usage of water and grass is the fact that less grass means less water, less water means lower costs,” Kieren Pratt, the director of Abu Dhabi Golf Club, tells The National.
An indirect benefit is that less energy is needed to pump and treat water, and reducing the demand for power also lowers harmful emissions such as carbon dioxide.
World leaders and ambassadors will gather in Dubai for Cop28 from November 30 to December 12, where they will discuss if enough has been done since Cop21's Paris Agreement to limit average global temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
“The time is now for businesses and philanthropists to step up and play a leading role in helping the world meet net-zero pathways,” said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate.
The event will include more than 300 discussions about climate change and sustainability. Organisers are expecting up to 70,000 people a day to visit the site.
Visitors are encouraged to use public transportation during the two-week conference to reflect the event's commitment to reducing carbon footprints.
