Dr. Beatriz Garcia Discusses Sustainability Initiatives and Environmental Impact at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

On the occasion of World Environment Day, Dr. Beatriz Garcia, Associate Professor of Law and Sustainability Spokesperson at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, reflects on the importance of celebrating environmental achievements and highlights how research, student engagement, and institutional initiatives are driving meaningful sustainability impact across the university and beyond.

Why do you think World Environment Day is important to celebrate? 

For me, World Environment Day is a moment to stop and take stock, not just of the challenges, but also of what is actually working. At SUAD, we use it exactly that way. This year, we published our Earth Day highlights not as a PR exercise, but as an accountability check: what did we do since last April, and did it matter? 

The day also matters because it creates visibility. When students see that their university won a national environmental award, or that their peers won a food security competition endorsed by Masdar and EDF, it sends a clear message: sustainability is not a side project here. That kind of inspiration is hard to generate on a random day. World Environment Day gives us a collective moment to channel it. 

What are the main achievements of SUAD over the past year worth highlighting in terms of sustainability? 

This past year has been one of our most active. Let me highlight a few things. 

On research impact, we delivered the final results of the Household Waste Management study commissioned by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi. That project generated an interactive map of 1,500 recycling and donation sites across Abu Dhabi and a science-based behavioural intervention plan that directly informed a national public awareness campaign. This an example of research translating into real policy and public action. 

On oceans, we presented at the Third UN Ocean Conference in Nice on bio-robotics for marine biodiversity monitoring, putting SUAD on the international stage for ocean science and technology. We also co-organised major international conferences, on decarbonization in shipping and marine biodiversity with the Asia-Pacific Center for Environmental Law (APCEL) of the National University of Singapore; on Marine AI and Robotics for Innovation and Sustainability among others. 

On campus operations, despite a 30% increase in student numbers, we reduced single-use plastics and increased composted food waste. In March 2026, during Earth Hour, we saved 637 kWh of energy in a single hour, a small but concrete measure of what collective action looks like. 

And institutionally, we launched our first Sustainability Strategy 2030 in October 2025, giving our efforts a long-term framework for the first time. Sustainability at SUAD is now embedded, not just in research, but in how we run the campus and how we teach. 

What led to your winning the Environmental Research Institute category of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Environmental Award? What is the most impressive aspect of your research or body of work? 

I think what made the difference was that we could show depth across all four criteria the Award evaluates: governance, research, capacity building, and impact, rather than excelling in just one area. 

On governance, we had real structures in place: a cross-departmental Sustainability Taskforce, a dedicated Sustainability Officer, a community-developed Sustainability Pledge, and a clear Strategic Plan with sustainability as one pillar.  

On research, the numbers speak for themselves. Between 2020 and 2024, we produced 123 sustainability-related and the share of publications in Scopus Q1 journals grew from 22.2 % to 63.4%.1 But what I find most impressive is not the volume, it is the relevance. Our research is directly cited in various policy documents. Projects like the EAD waste study or the Ocean Institute's work on eDNA and bioacoustics address real challenges facing the UAE and the Gulf region. 

My research sits at the intersection of environmental law, forest governance, and climate policy. I take pride in the applied dimension of my work. For example, delivering on-the-ground training for Indigenous communities and associations in the Amazon on climate law and carbon markets was a very fulfilling experience for me. 

This interview was published on 6 June 2026 by Al Etihad.