Expo 2020 Dubai is proof that smart cities work. We have the technology to decarbonize our cities through digitalization and increased efficiency. Though the spectacle is over, this edition of Expo marks the start of a global era of smart cities.
Expo 2020 Dubai demonstrated how complex technology that runs invisibly, in the background, can reduce carbon emissions and optimize operations to make a modern city more sustainable and more efficient. That efficacy will be needed as the urban population rises from 4.5 billion today, to 7 billion in 2050. It will be needed to save energy and to enable the switch to renewable power as the world seeks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions to combat climate change.