A polynomial goal programming model with application to energy consumption and emissions in United Arab Emirates

Sustainable growth and development of nations requires strategic vision and plan to accommodate growing energy needs while preserving and protecting the natural environment. Studies that couple energy and environment often present conflicting objectives which requires the explicit use of quantitative models to develop appropriate solutions for policy planning and analysis. Goal programming offers an analytical framework to solve multi-objective problems that simultaneously satisfy decision maker´s preferences. In this paper we develop a polynomial goal programming model to study the effects of electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions applied to the economy of United Arab Emirates. The results provide valuable insights for improvement opportunities and quantitative justification for the required investments and efforts in implementing sustainable development plans.