The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe impacts on human wellbeing and the economy. However,the environmental impacts have been mixed. Positive impacts include reduced emissions, better airquality and less pollution, while negative impacts were observed in terms of increased waste and reduced recycling1. Policies focused on renewable energy, waste management and pollution reduction are emerging in green recovery packages and aim to advance green and circular economy efforts globally. These are reflected in economic stimulus packages such as the Next Generation EU Recovery plan and the South Korean Green New Deal. These responses come at a crucial time as global consumption of materials such as biomass, fossil fuels, metals and minerals is expected to double in the next forty years2, while annual waste generation is projected to increase by 70% by 20503. This increase is already driving environmental challenges in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Carbon footprint per capita of the GCC countries is among the largest in the world, and the region is predicted to be “extremely highly stressed” in terms of water by 2040. However, there is a unique opportunity to capitalize on the environmental gains from the COVID-19 pandemic to advance sustainability and resilience. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has set ambitious targets to become one of the most sustainable countries globally. These targets include achieving a 75% rate of municipal solid waste recovery by 2021, generating 44% of energy supply from renewable resources by 2050 and to rank within the top 10 countries in the Environmental Performance Index. Dubai has also set aspiring targets such as becoming the city with the least carbon footprint in the world by 2050, to generate 75% of electricity from renewable resources by 2050 and to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2032.