Opportunities and Challenges in Applying Environmental Accounting Techniques to Monitor Sustainability Progress in UAE Economy

The abstract should summarize the contents of the paper in short terms, i.e. 150–250 words. This paper aims to stimulate scholarly dialogue by presenting an in-depth analysis of environmental accounting techniques, focusing on their applicability within the UAE’s unique environmental and economic landscape under the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021–2031. By exploring tools such as Ecological Footprinting, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and Energy Analysis (EA), the paper identifies gaps in current applications and emphasizes the need for enhanced methodologies to accurately track and evaluate sustainability progress. This paper addresses the difficulties these instruments encounter in measuring the indirect environmental effects of corporate operations, especially in the UAE’s rapidly changing industrial sectors, by introducing a conceptual framework and advancing a methodological discussion. In order to assist the UAE’s environmental goals within the context of the Circular Economy and advance sustainability practices, the study seeks to address methodological gaps through this analysis.