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Should we lie to ET?

In a galaxy far, far away,

a scaly green hand plucks a disk from the smoldering rubble of an unidentified spacecraft, shot down after attempts to communicate failed.

Earthlings would recognize a Voyager Golden Record immediately, but Carrex isn’t sure what he’s found yet. He has his ship’s super computer scan the disk, and an image of human men running a track race flickers into view. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 fills the air. How Carrex feels about this is anyone’s guess.

John Traphagan, professor emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin, isn’t too keen on the music selected for the Golden Records, but is much more concerned about the images chosen.

“The Voyager records are exceptionally biased toward presenting a picture of life on Earth as peaceful, devoted to the high arts (as defined by American intellectual elites) and engaged in noble activities such as space exploration,” he writes in a 2021 article for Space Policy. “They covertly express what I term the ‘Star Trek Imaginary’ or a frame of thinking about space exploration to a potential interstellar traveler who happens upon one of the spacecraft. The Voyager records do not represent an entirely honest representation of humanity or Earth; lying by omission is a form of dishonesty.”

The Voyager Golden Records, which were sent into space in 1977 in the hopes of communicating with extraterrestrial life, contain a wide variety of information about human civilization and culture, including music, images and spoken greetings in multiple languages.

Traphagan argues this is ethically questionable. If we were to deliberately transmit false information about ourselves or our planet, we would be intentionally misleading potential alien beings. This could be seen as a violation of the principle of honesty and integrity, and could lead to negative consequences for humanity if the extraterrestrials were to discover our deception.

“The disks paint an unequivocally rosy (at least from a human perspective) image of life on Earth — an exceptionally biased picture. The contents are at best quite misleading and at worst could be interpreted as intentionally deceptive. This is where the problem with the approach taken by the team that created the records becomes significant. I can imagine at least three possible outcomes: the good, the bad and the ugly.”

The good, in Traphagan’s view, is a nonchalance: He says it’s possible that a Carrex somewhere out there might explore the contents of the records, smile and move on. “It might even be the case that ET would not find it particularly important. If they have the technology necessary to travel between star systems, they might just look at Voyager much in the way we look at a beaver dam ­— a mildly interesting, if unsophisticated, piece of technology by a somewhat intelligent species rather limited in its intellectual and engineering abilities.

Any signal we send will contain at least two vitally important pieces of information: a) these guys are technologically backward, and b) they live right there
– Kelly Smith

“Perhaps there would be a little time spent looking over the spacecraft, but they might just shrug their shoulders (or whatever they have) and move on. It is always worth noting that it is a human conceit that members of non-human civilization will necessarily be interested in talking to us.”

However, if alien societies err to the imperialistic or belligerent, Traphagan worries the records send a very clear message: “There is easy prey on that planet situated here in relation to these 14 pulsars.” He reminds us there is nothing on the record that would suggest a military capability on our planet, let alone thermonuclear bombs.

This is where the nuance in the question of whether or not we should lie to extraterrestrials comes in. There is an argument that because nothing on the records suggests we could or even would defend ourselves, it opens the door to exploitation by an alien intelligence. But even the threat of alien invasion pales in comparison to Traphagan’s “ugly” outcome.

“Suppose our alien travelers find the contents of the record interesting and decide they would love to visit this lovely planet, where people listen to good music, greet each other in happy ways, and live in peace and harmony. What will they find when they arrive? Basically, all the stuff omitted from the record: the suffering, war, disease, pollution and exploitation that characterizes much of life on our planet. The message of the Golden Record would look like a big lie, and it is fairly easy to imagine a huge, collective WTF running through those alien minds as they contemplate the intentions of a society that would send out incredibly deceptive messages about themselves.”

IMAGE: Abjad Design

Should we have sent the Golden Records in the first place? Traphagan certainly believes we created and launched into space a flawed and misleading message about the people sending it. The next question: If we do think we should be contacting aliens, who should create the message?

The Voyager records do not represent an entirely honest representation of humanity or Earth.
– John Traphagan

Kelly Smith, associate professor at Clemson University, likes the term “METI or REGRETTI.” While SETI is the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, METI describes messaging them. REGRETTI should be self-explanatory. Smith’s 2020 book, “Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology,” compiled articles exploring the “broader questions in astrobiology.”

In his own chapter, he says debate about precisely what content should go into a message is largely beside the point as far as risk is concerned since any message will reveal both the location of Earth and the relative state of our technology.

“Any signal we send will contain at least two vitally important pieces of information: a) these guys are technologically backward, and b) they live right there,” Smith says.

Perhaps attempts to communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence should not be led by astronomers or engineers, but by social scientists who specialize in intercultural communication. Perhaps we need space diplomats.

“Since we know nothing about aliens, parties on both sides of the debate are forced to rely on speculation of one form or another,” Smith says. “For all we know, aliens might have motives that we have never encountered before. My argument is not that METI is a bad idea in general — I would personally love to push the transmit button and send a signal to every nearby system — just that we have not yet thought it through carefully and, until we do, we should err on the side of caution.”

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Who’s an astronaut?
Definitions matter

With the sky no longer the limit for the adventurous traveler, space tourism is becoming a thing. (More on this here.) But does jetting off to space — or the edge of space — qualify you as an “astronaut”? And beyond the semantics, why would you care?

Space law is complicated, confusing, and constantly evolving. As space exploration and commercialization continue, new legal challenges will emerge and necessitate new legal frameworks. Among the more pressing matters is the legal definition of an astronaut.

On the surface, this seems a moot point: What does it matter what you’re called if you’ve boldly gone where no one has gone before? If everything goes as planned and you make it back to Earth safe and sound, it really doesn’t matter. But if something goes wrong …

All countries and actors party to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST) are also party to the Rescue Agreement, which “calls for the rendering of all possible assistance to astronauts in the event of accident, distress or emergency landing, the prompt and safe return of astronauts and the return of objects launched into outer space.” Note the specific use of the term “astronaut” here. These legal obligations do not extend to the space tourist.

According to current law, the title of astronaut is more than just a distinction: It’s a special, protected status under international law that guarantees assistance in case of emergency.

IMAGE: Unsplash

One would hope that in the event of an emergency, a responding state would not stop to check whether a person was technically an astronaut before rendering aid, but legally, it’s an important point. While much can be discussed in the hypothetical, with more space tourists and entrepreneurs taking to the skies, it’s a valid question: Would a state expend resources to rescue another state’s space tourist without international obligation?

Maritime law could provide a model: Under international shipping law, a ship that is in position to provide assistance to persons in distress at sea must do so. This stems from the Law of the Sea Treaty, a United Nations convention, and its wording does not specify “mariner” or “sailor” or “seafarer” — nary a sea dog is mentioned. Instead, being a “person” is enough to guarantee rescue at sea.

What, then, of the astronaut?

Personhood is a requirement for almost every definition: Merriam Webster says an astronaut is “a person who travels beyond Earth’s atmosphere”; Cambridge dictionary uses “a person who has been trained for travelling in outer space”; the OST considers an astronaut “an envoy of mankind.”

The Moon Treaty, established in 1979, is an agreement governing the activities of states on the moon and other celestial bodies. Another U.N. treaty, this one elevates commercial actors to the status of “astronaut,” but since no state that engages in self-launched human spaceflight (the United States, Russia, China) has signed it, this definition has little to no relevancy in international law and certainly could not be relied upon in an emergency.

IMAGE: Unsplash

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is one of three agencies in the United States with the authority to deem a person an astronaut, and each has a different definition. If a state cannot decide on a single definition for its own space agencies, it becomes clear that any international definition would be even harder to attain.

The Outer Space Treaty was established in 1967, when space was firmly the domain of the government actor. While the legal team writing the framework possibly could not have imagined the extent to which we now shoot non-governmental entities into space, it does have wording to incorporate the private individual:

“States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space … whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities …”

The Rescue Agreement itself offers some assurance to the non-official astronaut:

“If information is received or it is discovered that the personnel of a spacecraft have alighted on the high seas or in any other place not under the jurisdiction of any State, those Contracting Parties which are in a position to do so shall, if necessary, extend assistance in search and rescue operations for such personnel to assure their speedy rescue.”

Again, it is hoped that in the event of an emergency where anyone in space or following their return to Earth required assistance, the countries and agencies involved would leap into action. But the question and import of the application of these international protections remains a pressing concern for legislators. As more commercial entities head into space, gaps are appearing in the current body of international space law.

Fortunately, space law isn’t standing still: U.N. committees are working to develop guidelines and principles for the exploration and use of space resources. The International Institute of Space Law helps international organizations and national institutions cooperate to develop space law, and the International Astronautical Federation leads space advocacy across 75 countries. There are 11 academic journals dedicated to space law and policy.

And hey, until there is a new legal framework and definition, it’s quite fun to think anyone could be an astronaut.

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Ticket to the stars

Space tourism has soared in recent years, enjoyed by a limited number of niche individuals. The rest of us stand with our feet firmly planted on the Earth’s surface. But imagine a future where the answer to the question of your next vacation destination could be “Earth’s low orbit.”

It may seem like science fiction, or at least something that might happen many years from now, but space tourism isn’t new.

The Russians did it first in 2001, taking American millionaire Dennis Tito for a week stay on the International Space Station. U.S. space tourism company Space Adventures worked in partnership with Russian space agency Roscosmos to make it happen.

According to Tito, the flight and stay, for the bargain price of U.S.$20 million, was well worth it: “I was euphoric. I mean, it was the greatest moment of my life, to achieve a life objective, and I knew then that nothing could ever beat this,” he told CNN.

The entire venture stemmed from a life-long dream and Roscosmos’ need for a cash injection. The Russian space agency sent six travelers into space in the 2000s, but after it added more cosmonauts to longer missions aboard the space station, tourist trips were canceled.

The ISS was fully booked.

Fast-forward to 2018 as the Russians re-engaged and once again looked to Space Adventures to broker a deal for two adventurers to visit the ISS.

NASA, on the other hand, hasn’t been as keen on taking private citizens into space, but has rather turned its attention to upgrading the ISS. In 2020, it awarded a contract to Axiom, a space infrastructure developer in the United States, to develop one livable module with  three additional modules to follow.

When the ISS decommissions, these modules will detach and merge to create a new separate station for visitors.

CAPTION: Anna Hazlett, principal and founder of AzurX IMAGE: AzurX

But it’s not government agencies having all the fun.

“We’re seeing more countries looking to develop their own human spaceflight programs,” says Anna Hazlett, founder and principal of AzurX, an advisory and investment company for private commercial entities aiming to take clients to space.

Private companies are taking the reins and creating opportunities for those who have the courage to travel to space. And the money.

More: Who is an astronaut? Definitions matter

According to Hazlett, there are a variety of options for private space tourists ranging from a slow and low scenic balloon ascent to a short, speedy rocket ride — or even an orbital experience in the International Space Station.

U.S. company Space Perspective is one of several companies offering a relaxing ride to the heavens. Its balloon is 700 feet tall and can travel up to 30 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. Patrons spend two hours climbing, two hours observing and two hours slowly returning to Earth. For the price-point of U.S.$125,000, the first ride is set for the end of 2024.

Other companies, like World View in Arizona, U.S.A, offer the balloon ride for U.S.$50,000. Experiences will vary based on cost, but Hazlett believes the balloons will attract interest from the consumer market: “You’ll see partnerships with media companies, hospitality, music production, and they’ll be able to do more in those capsules — the bigger high-altitude balloons — just because there’s more space,” she says.

CAPTION: UAE Ministry of Economy explores mechanisms to develop space sector. L-R: H.E. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi Minister of Education, H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Minister of Economy, Fahad Al Mheiri, Founding Partner AzurX, Erik Wagner Director Blue Origin, Brent Sherwood SVP Blue Origin, Anna Hazlett Principal AzurX and Representative Blue Origin Middle East IMAGE: WAM

On the other end of the space-tourism spectrum is a space plane or rocket ride where travelers can enjoy a few minutes of weightlessness before heading back to Earth. This sub-orbital trip is slightly speedier and will dig a deeper crevasse in your investment portfolio —  an 11-minute ride costs U.S.$450,000.

Companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin offer the quick suborbital flights. But while Virgin Galactic has struggled to get its planes in the air, front runner Blue Origin flew 31 space travelers between 2021 and 2022.

And then there’s the ultimate orbital experience of a stay on the ISS. SpaceX, in 2022, flew three tourists to the ISS for a 10- day stay for U.S.$55 million each. The price, however, included meals.

But Hazlett believes one day there will be affordable options for those who aren’t uber wealthy. This may not be a visit to a Jeff Bezos Low Earth hotel, but at a point in the future, they may get to enjoy some level of space travel experience. If you want the astronaut moniker, however, you’re going to have to go the distance.

Only those who travel past the Karmen Line, the internationally recognized border crossing between Earth and space, will get the astronaut title upon return to Earth. The line is about 100 kilometers above sea level and is considered to be the beginning of space.

Either way, if you spend a small or large fortune, depending on your personal perspective, the astronaut title would be one for your resumé. But if the Karmen Line is beyond your budget, you may want to opt for one of the other experiences accessible to only 1 percent of the Earth’s population.

While the media is focused on the key players in space tourism like Blue Origin and Space Perspective, AzurX is ironing out its business growth.

CAPTION: New Shepard on the launch pad at Launch Site One (LS1) north of Van Horn, Texas. AzurX is advocating for a second launch site in the UAE. IMAGE: Blue Origin

Hazlett says the company is responsible for “anything ranging from policy and strategy development through market strategies, implementation of those strategies, business development and sales. We’re essentially the arm of our clients or partners. We do a range of commercial activities for a portfolio of space and satellite companies.”

So, if you’re looking to set up a launchpad in a specific country, they could be your mission control.

CAPTION: Blue Origin Founder Jeff Bezos in front of the company’s Space tourism capsule New Shepard IMAGE: Getty Images

One such country is the United Arab Emirates. While the planning and the logistics are still in early stages, Dubai-based AzurX is working with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and the UAE to iron out what a partnership might look like.

While Hazlett was unable to offer definitive details, KUST Review was afforded a sneak peek into its ideal scenario.

Hazlett is hopeful all the space-tourism options previously mentioned, among others, will round out the UAE’s space-tourism program — making it all encompassing — and is excited at what the program might look like. One thing she is certain about — it will offer continuity of Dubai’s tourism and all of the luxuries that befit the UAE brand, she says.

From luxury accommodations to an astronaut training center, to a venue in which family and friends of a space tourist can visit and get a taste of what their loved one might experience — the plans are out of this world.

Additionally, with the International Space Station due to be decommissioned in 2030, private companies are looking to create new and exciting low-Earth orbit lodgings for space tourists. As more destination spots pop up, and the volume of this segment of the market grows, the demand should drive the cost down, Hazlett says.

The director of Khalifa University’s Space and Planetary Science Center is also optimistic about what the future holds for space tourism: “We have seen with other ventures in history how the cost can come down markedly once a market opens up and demand rises leading to competition,” Mohamed Ramy El-Maarry says. “One only needs to look at the history of commercial flight. Competing for customers would eventually drive the cost down, so I am optimistic that once the space tourism garners enough interest, we could see more affordable options.”

Future Market Insights estimates the space tourism market will reach  U.S. $13.2 billion by 2033.

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Building blocks of sustainability

Since their discovery in the early 20th century, polymeric materials have revolutionized many aspects of our lives. Perhaps the most recognizable polymers in our daily lives are plastics.

Despite their enormous value, we produce more plastic than we recycle, and this is becoming a major environmental challenge. The figures are staggering: Just 9 percent of the global supply of plastic is recycled. Most plastic produced is incinerated or placed in landfills, leading to pollution. A significant amount of plastic waste is also found in the seas, creating not just an eyesore but damage to aquatic life and marine ecosystems.

At Khalifa University, Sharmarke Mohamed and his team at the Advanced Materials Chemistry Center (AMCC) are developing a new method for recycling post-consumer plastic waste that uses a combination of mechanical force (as part of mechanochemistry), light and catalysts.

The value of this technology is that it uses no corrosive or harmful chemicals.

– Sharmarke Mohamed, Khalifa University

While mechanical methods are common as a means for reducing the size of plastics prior to recycling, it is not possible to apply this for the depolymerization of most plastic waste. Instead, the researchers are looking for ways to perform low-cost recycling using a range of stimuli.

“Despite the enormous environmental challenge posed by plastic waste, we felt a sense of duty to develop these new mechanochemical tools. Most researchers around the world are exploring mechanical force as a means to build new chemicals. In other words, building complexity from simple structures. We decided to use the same principles and use mechanical force as well as light and catalysts to break down complex polymer waste materials into smaller building blocks that can then either be recycled or upcycled,” he says.

“Solar energy is responsible for the photodegradation of plastics in the environment, particularly in the UV region of the electromagnetic spectrum. We also know that some biological catalysts (e.g. enzymes) are adapted to using organic macromolecules such as plastics as fuel sources. So in essence, we are learning from nature as we try to develop a lab-scale protocol that uses these tried-and-tested methods for turning plastic waste into high-value chemicals,” Mohamed says.

“As the UAE declares 2023 to be the Year of Sustainability, our research group is very much leading this effort in a challenging area. But we are motivated by solving the environmental challenges posed by plastic waste,” Mohamed says.

About 380 million metric tons of plastic are produced each year. Of that, only about 9 percent is recycled, Mohamed tells the KUST Review. Some plastics are treated with harsh chemicals, like acid. But most plastic is incinerated, he says.

“But the problem (with incineration) is that it releases carbon dioxide and adds to the global carbon footprint. The other problem is that if you burn the plastic you can’t reuse it. Our group is trying to take the end-user plastic and come up with new low-cost mechanical methods that are able to break down these polymers into their constituent parts.”

Those constituent parts might then be reused to make new plastic products or chemicals for other uses.

Mohamed’s team is working on a three-year project to investigate a three-part process for recycling plastics. This research is supported by AMCC and funded by ASPIRE, the technology program management pillar of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), via the ASPIRE Award for Research Excellence.

The first part involves mechanochemistry: using mechanical energy to induce the chemical depolymerization of the plastic waste.

“Mainly we use ball mills to grind the polymers in the presence of proprietary chemicals we are developing in our lab. This leads to the polymer essentially breaking down and releasing its constituent building blocks, known as the monomers. Preliminary results in our lab suggest this process can be done under ambient conditions in the solid-state with yields of up to about 70 percent or higher,” he says.

We are trying to think outside the box and look at the problem from a non-conventional perspective using a mechanocatalytic approach.

– Zeinab Mohamed Saeed, Khalifa University

The value of this technology is that it uses no corrosive or harmful chemicals, which is important as it makes the entire process much more environmentally friendly than incineration or land-filling the plastic waste.

The next step is to examine the influence of light on the process, followed by experiments with inorganic catalysts (i.e. metal salts) or enzymes to break down the plastics.

“Once we understand each of these processes on their own, we can see how they can be stitched up together to create what we refer to as a photolytic and mechanoenzymatic degradation (PMED) protocol. We envisage the PMED process will be implemented serially as part of a batch process, much like a conveyor belt in a factory. Our long-term goal is to take post-consumer plastic waste and to efficiently produce the chemical building blocks of the plastic waste via our PMED process.”

Different forms of plastic break down in different ways under mechanical force, complicating the process, Mohamed says. But he says the initial work is promising.

Zeinab Mohamed Saeed, a Ph.D. candidate working on the project, says she’s excited by the non-conventional approach to a long-standing problem.

“The field of polymer degradation was there for decades,” she says. “People have been trying to come up with different ways to tackle the issue using their expertise, and now we are trying to think outside the box and look at the problem from a non-conventional perspective using a mechanocatalytic approach. I find this research challenging but exciting, and can’t wait to see what kind of results we will end up with.”

Among the challenges, however, is creating vessels that can hold the material but also allow in light of a certain wavelength. And the enzymes known to break down plastics are expensive.

The hope, however, is to scale up the technology to levels required by industry. That’s still some time off, however.

“Now we can do up to a gram or two. This is fine for feasibility and patenting,” Mohamed says.

The Advanced Materials Chemistry Center (AMCC) was formed in 2022 and combines expertise from different disciplines to tackle major environmental problems. Its methods for treating plastic waste “align with the UAE’s ambitions to transition to a green circular economy and achieve its net-zero targets” Mohamed says.

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Cool it, sunshine

The cause of climate change is a hot topic. From carbon output to single-use plastic waste to energy consumption, the list goes on. But in the UAE, where temperatures hit 50 degrees in summer, the sun’s heat and subsequent cooling requirements are an environmental conundrum. Now technology is helping the country harvest its more than 4,400 hours of annual sunlight to tip the scales in favor of the planet.

Global heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) giant GREE, known in the market for its investments in research and development, announced at the COP28 in Dubai the launch of its solar-powered technology in the UAE through its business partner, NIA. The technology is variant refrigerator flow (VRF), and it is quick, responsive and adaptable. It also uses less energy than conventional air-conditioners.

“NIA is engaging key decision-makers that enable sustainable change for the communities in the UAE by promoting solar-powered air-conditioning adoption,” says Imad Hseino, NIA’s head of HVAC solutions.

GREE, headquartered in China and founded in 1991, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of HVAC solutions.

The system won multiple awards, including the British RAC Cooling Industry Award, the International Quality Innovation Award, the GENEVE International Invention Gold Medal and the China Patent Gold Award.

The units look like traditional systems, but inside is a whole host of carbon-reducing goodness.

CAPTION: Imad Hseino, head of HVAC solutions-NIA IMAGE: NIA

The units harness and use direct solar power without the use of a solar inverter, eliminating the typical 15 to 22 percent loss of energy that occurs during the transmission process.

Typically, energy from solar panels goes through an inverter and a transformer that outputs it as air-conditioning. But GREE’s technology can accept DC energy directly from the solar panels at 99 percent power efficiency.

That’s a big number, but what does it mean?

Whenever there is an inversion process, a certain amount of energy is lost in the form of heat. Since no inverter is required, the GREE solar VRF operates at a maximum, the company says. With minimal environmental impact.

VRF, an extremely conducive and multifaceted form of cooling technology, allows for variance of the flow of cool air to individual spaces. Eliminating the need for an inverter reduces materials (and therefore cost), ensuring higher efficiency and fulfilling its purpose with zero-carbon output, zero electricity bills and zero wasted energy.

That’s a lot of zeros in a region where 80 to 85 percent of an average building’s energy usage goes to cooling.

And the designs are suited for both residential or commercial settings, with simple and cost-saving installation of up to 20 percent compared with other solutions. Units can be installed on a rooftop or ground floor.

Garden-variety VRF systems require not only an inverter but a human to manage them. GREE’s product, however, uses AI to do the work.

“It (the system) incorporates advanced monitoring and control technologies, including the GREE Energy Information Management System for real-time energy-flow monitoring and a self-developed AI algorithm for maximizing efficiency,” Hseino tells KUST Review.

Concerned about the monitoring of energy flow? Just check your phone.

Launching new technology in a new region often comes with challenges, and the UAE is no exception.

DEWA, the Dubai Energy and Water Authority, put the solar VRF through rigorous approval processes, particularly in the inverter category.

IMAGE: NIA

“This involved the submission of comprehensive test certificates that demonstrated the system’s performance and safety compliance,” Hseino tells KUST Review. “The primary challenges were to meet the high sustainability standard of the related authorities and obtain the necessary approvals from regulatory authorities.” Now DEWA hosts the product on its website.

It all sounds positive, but what happens when the sun is gone for the day but it’s still too hot to turn the air-conditioning off?

The system has a hybrid connection. During sunlight hours, it’s feeding off the solar energy.

But once the sun sinks, the connection automatically shifts to the power grid.

If you prefer to continue solar-energy use during sundown hours, however, GREE also offers varying capacities of storage solutions to box up that energy and store if for a rainy day. This means flexibility to maintain sustainable cooling 24 hours a day.

And as the planet heats up, cooling has become a necessity. In the UAE and all over the world.

The United Nations Cool Coalition addresses the provision of sustainable but necessary cooling and met in Denmark in 2019 to discuss environmental protection amid mounting heat.

Rachel Kyte, chief executive officer of Sustainable Energy for All, says in a United Nations Environmental Programme press release, “In a warming world, cooling is a necessity, not a luxury. … Hundreds of millions of people at risk today from extreme heat need protection and we must protect them in a way that also protects the planet from increased carbon emissions.”

The UAE has set itself an aligned, aggressive goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050 in its Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

The GREE Solar VRF system is estimated to save 11,130 kilograms of CO2 annually, in a typical house.