The success of COP21, the UN Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreement signed in Paris, France, last year, is set to fast-track green building and sustainability initiatives in the Middle East region, according to an industry expert.

"The world is transitioning to a low carbon economy and the recent COP21 deal provides further impetus to this movement," remarked Saeed Al Abbar, the director at AESG, a UAE-based consultancy specialised in solving complex challenges in sustainable urban development.

"As countries and enterprises accelerate their efforts towards sustainability, given our core focus on sustainability services, we believe we are uniquely positioned to help our clients, both in the private and public sectors, implement the measures necessary to deliver on this unique deal," stated Al Abbar.

Following the success of COP21, the sustainability industry in the Middle East is set to gain prominence through 2016, he added.

According to him, AESG is set to further extend its regional footprint by playing a pivotal role in providing sustainability consultancy services to leading government and enterprise institutions across the GCC.

"We have doubled the employee count and tripled our office space, while managing to simultaneously grow the company's year-on-year revenues by over 80 per cent," he noted.

The need for green building and sustainable development has seen steady increase in the Middle East in recent years and local governments have been playing an active role in establishing frameworks and initiatives in this regard, said Al Abbar.

For example, the UAE government is eager to position the country as a global leading ‘Green Economy’ and to implement green growth initiatives such as the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy.

AESG is well positioned to address these market demands, having invested heavily in the build-up of its capabilities and resources through 2015, he added.

In particular, the service lines of Energy Management, Environmental Consultancy, Commissioning Management and Government Advisory have been instrumental in helping to fuel the company's growth.

Al Abbar said this is a “reflection of the region’s growing need for expertly delivered consultancy services.”

An emerging trend in the Middle East has been the growing interest of the oil and gas sector in sustainability.

“As the oil and gas sector is one of the industry’s most closely associated with climate change, the industry globally is taking a leadership role in energy management strategies," he added.

Al Abbar said AESG had been working closely with this sector and has already implemented a number of projects for the oil and gas operating companies in Abu Dhabi which seek to maximise energy efficiency.

The market’s positive reception to AESG’s offerings has prompted the company to establish a new office in Abu Dhabi in 2016 that will focus specifically on the oil and gas sector, he added.-TradeArabia News Service