Emiratis urged to consider natural resources part of national heritage
Emiratis and UAE residents need to recognise their unsustainable use of natural resources and do more to help combat the overconsumption of these resources, environmentalists said.
Despite some improvements, the UAE has one of the highest carbon footprints in the world.
In a statement to mark the country’s 21st National Environment Day yesterday, Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said population growth as well as a surge in income levels after four decades of economic growth in the Emirates have given rise to non-sustainable production and consumption patterns.
“These are among the main challenges we face in our efforts to conserve our resources and ecosystems today. Their negative impact is apparent in many areas, such as a high ecological footprint per capita, high water, energy and food consumption rates, as well as a high waste production and carbon emissions rate.”
Dr Saif Al Ghais, executive director of Ras Al Khaimah Environment Protection and Development Agency, said that overconsumption of natural resources, particularly water, is currently the main environmental concern in the UAE.
“Overconsumption of water and the impact we and our lifestyle is having on our natural resources – water, soil, fisheries. It is all connected,” he said.
Mr Al Zeyoudi said to address these challenges the UAE has implemented policies and measures to promote sustainability in production and consumption to maximise the country’s contribution to global efforts to achieve sustainable development.
“The most prominent among them is the UAE Energy Strategy for 2050, which aims to diversify the country’s energy sources. Its objectives involve bringing the share of clean energy in the national energy mix up to 27 per cent by 2021 and 50 per cent by 2050,” he said.
Other sustainability programmes include the UAE Green Growth Strategy, which focuses on transforming the economy into a low-carbon economy by adopting a sustainable approach to architecture and transport and enhancing the efficiency of resource consumption, especially for energy and water.
Mr Al Zeyoudi stressed that although it is too soon to see the full effect of the policies and measures, there are signs that they are already seeing results.
He said: “There is a significant decrease in per capita waste generation, from 2.06 kilograms to 1.8 per person per day, and the country’s ecological footprint per capita decreased from about 12 global hectares in 2006 to less than eight global hectares in 2014.
“In the UAE, we believe that sustainable production and consumption is an essential part of national responsibility for institutions and individuals alike. The consumer society is increasingly gaining importance in this regard as it dictates production trends and influences producer responsibility. Ultimately, consumption is an individual choice that depends on a combination of factors, such as desire, often influenced by advertising, purchasing power and awareness.”
Mr Al Zeyoudi urged nationals to consider their natural resources as part of the national heritage that will be passed on to future generations.
“We are confident that the collaboration of the Government and the community will have a substantial influence on stimulating more sustainable production and consumption patterns.”
Dr Al Ghais believes, however, that further awareness and education is needed. He said: “Unfortunately, people do not value their natural resources or the value of conserving them. There is some awareness, but there is a lot of work that still needs to be done.”