UAE Cabinet working on law to manage quarries

UAE energy consumption beats global growth levels

Dubai's energy usage growth is the highest in the UAE at 15 per cent, Abu Dhabi is at second with 10 per cent increase, and Sharjah is at 7 per cent.

Dubai's power consumption for 2007 was at 24,756 gigawatts (GW), while system energy requirement equalled 26,030GW. The previous year's figures stood at 21,475GW and 22,272GW respectively.

Average individual electricity usage, according to Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is 20,000-kilowatt hours per annum.

At a conference on sustainable development, Dr Mohammad Dulaimi, coordinator of awareness programmes for Emirates Energy Award, an initiative by the Dubai Quality Group, said, "Our combined efforts are urgently required if we are to overcome this challenge."

He said their company aims to increase awareness among individuals, corporations and policy makers of the importance of energy conservation and maintaining a healthy environment.

Dulaimi also called for the establishment of a national scheme to encourage and adopt productive suggestions and ideas that further develop the country's typical strategy on sustainable development.

He said that comprehensive development is not limited to the construction sector, but includes all aspects of life, which must be addressed for the sake of society.

"The implementation of sustainable development in its comprehensive framework is the ideal solution for such crises in the construction sector as shortages in building materials, the delays in property handovers, shortage of skilled labour," Dulaimi said.

He added, "Sustainable development is a global concern, but if we focus only on one side of this concept, we will soon find ourselves facing a crisis similar to that caused by the energy generating obsession that led to the destruction of food for energy generating purposes, thus jeopardising food security and leading to a series of sharp hikes in food prices."

UAE has recently joined the group of nations using nuclear energy to meet its energy demands, announcing its plans to produce nuclear energy locally, as an economical and ecologically friendly alternative to using fossil fuels to meet the country's soaring energy demands.

This initiative is set to contribute to sustainable development in the country.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/05/20/10214545.html

Environmental protection in region 'very vibrant'

The region is changing and it is fascinating and amazing to see, said Klaus Toepfer, leading professor in environment for sustainable development at the United Nations Environment Programme.

Toepfer is in Dubai to announce the winners of the Zayed International Prize for the Environment for the fourth cycle.

Global efforts

The prize was founded in 1999 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

$1m (Dh3.67m) is divided between winning individuals and organisations recognised for promoting sustainable development.

The prize is considered to be the UAE's highest contribution towards global efforts to promote sustainable development. It is presented every two years in three categories including global leadership in environment, scientific or technological achievements in environment and environmental action leading to positive change in society.

Previous winners have included Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan.

"This is one of the most outstanding prizes," said Toepfer. "It is fascinating to see this prize in this region, a region where you don't expect such activity to take place," he said.

Zayed Award: Winners announced

This year's winners will be awarded on June 9 in Dubai. The prize for global leadership has been awarded to Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland from Norway. Former prime minister of Norway she served as the director-general of the World Health Organisation and now works as special envoy on climate change for the United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

The prize for scientific or technological achievements is shared between Jane Lubchenco, a world leader in environmental sciences and V. Ramanathan, a distinguished climatologist.

The third prize for environment action leading to positive change in society has been given to Environment Development Action in the Third World (ENDA) established in Senegal in 1972.

ENDA works with the poor and developed a range of projects and activities to combat desertification, sustainable energy and grassroots community self-help programmes.

This prize is also shared with Tierrmerica, a specialist information service on environment and development produced by the international news agency Inter Press Service.

BEIRUT: Over-consumption, over-pumping and mismanagement are causing Lebanon's fresh water wells to become contaminated with salt water, making the reserves unfit for human consumption, a recent study shows. The information was made public at a conference organized the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy & International Affairs at the American University of Beirut last week.

Over the course of four years, Mark Saade, a hydro-geologist, conducted the survey, sampling drinking water from more than 40 wells in the Baade Municipality and throughout Lebanon. He focused particularly on Lebanon's dense population centers like Beirut's southern suburbs, where water consumption from the wells is highest because they are under-served by municipal networks.

More water is consumed from these wells than can be replenished. This causes a lowering of the water table and the result is the contamination with salt water from the sea.

"Over 2 percent contamination of salt water into the drinking water makes it unsuitable for domestic purposes," he said. However, his survey found that salt water intrusion had seeped into the fresh water wells by at least 15 percent.

"If the process continues," he said, "Lebanon is facing a major catastrophe."

Not only will the water from the wells be undrinkable, but the infrastructure and the economy of the country will also be at risk, Saade said. Lebanon would lose a sizable portion of its arable lands that depend on the wells.

"One by one you'd lose crop lands. The crop yields would decrease after each season until after a few seasons, you'd have nothing but a salt encrustation over your soil. The cattle and livestock industry will suffer also," he warned.

Saade said that even the construction industry would be affected. "You need fresh water to mix with concrete. When you mix salt water with concrete it cracks after three years. In the future, buildings can fall down because of this. Damage will also result from rusted pipes, and water mains. "

Saade blamed the impending crisis on mismanagement on the part of the water and energy authorities. "When you talk to the water authorities and ministries of energy few know or have heard about this problem."

Saade also pointed out that Lebanon has no water meters to charge the population for the amount of water they consume. Instead there is flat rate throughout the whole year.

"There is no pay as you go basis, no incentive for me or for you to preserve this precious resource. This instills irresponsibility in everyone when you're not taxing them for water they use."

However an even bigger price tag may be in store for Lebanon if it is too late to reverse the process. 

"If this is a worse case scenario, the solution may be to build desalination plants which can filter out sea water such as the ones in Saudi Arabia which are costly. We may be at a point of no return" Saade said.

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18 March 2008

ENVIRONMENT NEWS FROM THE