Implications of High Levels of Pollution in Abu Dhabi - Case Study Example

POLLUTION IN ABU DHABI AND EFFECTS OF - POLLUTION. - VARIOUS STANDARDS AVAILABLE TO HELP REDUCE POLLUTION (ISO STANDARD ETC.) - MEASURES TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT IN REDUCING POLLUTION (EAD, GREEN GULF PROJECT, ERWDA) - AN EMS PLAN FOR THE ABU DHABI CIVIL DEFENSE - CONCLUSION POLLUTION IN ABU DHABI Gulf countries are faced with several environmental issues that include water scarcity, land degradation, biodiversity, coastal environment degradation and air pollution. This region is also a large contributor to global emissions of carbon dioxide in per capita terms1 Abu Dhabi is by far the biggest oil producer in the United Arab Emirates, controlling more than 85 percent of the UAE’s total oil output capacity and over 90 percent of it’s crude reserves. 2 Because of this reason primarily, there are various petroleum-processing industries, which have setup base in and around Abu Dhabi. The major sources of industrial air pollution in the region are oil refineries and petrochemical, cement and metal industries. Natural conditions like sandstorms add to the problem of air pollution in the region. In reports published by the Environmental Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) on it’s website, the growth of the heavy industry, especially in the petrochemical sector, hazards of oil spills and pollution from desalination plants has affected regional marine biodiversity. Spawning grounds for marine species, siltation and coastal erosion which cause turbid waters and the loss of mangroves is the present circumstance. Land pollution is as severe as marine pollution generally caused by increased urbanization and petrochemical companies. Presence of cement industries too adds to the threat for the Emirate. The Green Gulf Report, which is a joint research effort by the GRC and TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) states that major sources of air pollution in the region are from oil refineries and petrochemicals, cement and metal industries. Abu Dhabi has also recorded high levels of Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Oxide, which is a result of heavy traffic in the UAE. Implications of High Levels of Pollution in Abu Dhabi High levels of harmful gases in the atmosphere have known to cause not only health effects on the citizens but also economic losses for the country’s economy. An increased level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has led to increase in heat stress on the citizens. The increase in pollution levels also result in lung diseases as well as other ailments. Pollution in the water causes an increase in diseases like malaria and other water-borne diseases. Economic losses like decrease in crop yields due to increased level of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone affect the country’s productivity. Contaminated water causes damage to the crops. Thus, a climate change and unhealthy levels of harmful gases in the atmosphere are not only harmful to the citizen’s health but also affect the country’s economy to an extent. Various standards available to help reduce pollution There are various Environmental standards like the ISO 14000, which intend to protect the environment while removing trade barriers. Aside from the ISO, various Government established standards to protect the environment e.g. The European Union has established Directives geared toward air pollution. These directives aim at specifying standards for various harmful greenhouse gases like Nitrogen Dioxide, Limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants etc. to be followed by all countries and industries operating in the European Union. Standards like the British Standards Institution (BSI) have prescribed certain methods of measurement of Air Pollution, which need to be followed by the industries. A closer look at the ISO standards ISO is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from more than 100 countries. ISO is a non-governmental organization established in 1947 with its first standard published in 1951. The mission of ISO is to promote the development of standardization activities to promote the exchange of goods and services. The ISO 14000 is a series of voluntary standards designed to promote environmental protection while spurring international trade and commerce by establishing a common worldwide approach to environmental management systems. The standards represent a new approach to environmental management systems to manage and track their environmental performance. It is a movement away from the “command and control” regime to an encouragement of strategic environmental management. In short, the ISO 14000 is an Environmental Management System (EMS) Guidance Document and the ISO 14001 specifies the Environmental Management System. A company demonstrates it’s commitment to the environment by adopting the ISO 14000 standard to show that it is an environmentally responsible company. Initiatives taken by the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi Emirate) to monitor and reduce levels of pollution and harmful gases in the atmosphere. The Government of Abu Dhabi has taken many steps to reduce pollution in the emirate as well as improve air quality and the levels of dangerous toxins. With increased awareness and pressure from International Organizations like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UAE government in cooperation with the members of the GCC decided to aceed to the ‘Kyoto Protocol’ in a commitment along with various other international participating countries by taking efforts to reduce emissions of Carbon Dioxide and five other harmful gases.3. . The ‘Green Gulf’ Project In addition to ratification of the ‘Kyoto Protocol’ the UAE Government in co-ordination with the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) established the Gulf Research Council (GRC) to conduct environmental research for the GCC nations. One of the biggest achievements of this council is the development of the ‘Green Gulf Project’ which was launched in March 20064. The project has been segregated and is to be executed in two phases, namely the preliminary ‘Green Gulf’ project which will study various hazards caused due to oil and petrochemical industries. The second phase is termed as the ‘Green Gulf 2020’. The second phase entails analyzing and study of the findings of the first report by regional environmentalists who will probe into the causes for current environmental threats and suggest long ranging solutions by preparing a document which will eventually influence policy and decision makers. This includes solid waste management (management of debris caused due to construction and demolition of buildings and factories, municipal wastes that cause the release of harmful gases, industrial, hazardous and biomedical waste), the project will also tackle cleaning up of marine coasts and well as land. The overall aim of the ‘Green Gulf’ Project is to make the GCC (which includes UAE) a cleaner and healthier place for its inhabitants. The UAE Federal Environmental Agency and the ERWDA The UAE Federal Environmental Agency was formed in 1993 to manage the environment and to implement national environmental laws. The Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA) was then created in 1996, to assist the UAE Federal Environmental Agency. The Government in co-ordination with these two bodies established various laws and regulations applicable in the United Arab Emirates to manage the nation’s environment and reduce pollution. The law states that a board be set up in Abu Dhabi to: 1. Evaluate the impact of oil-wastes on the environment and wildlife and offer recommendations and solutions concerning the related problems. 2. Assess impact of industrial gases and household air pollutants on the environment and wildlife and recommend solutions regarding air pollution and implementing projects to clear and control gas emissions in co-ordination with concerned authorities. 5 Some of the recent measures being taken by the Environmental Agency (EAD), Abu Dhabi is launch of the air quality index to measure air pollution at 10 sites around the emirate6, which will display levels of harmful pollution causing gases in the atmosphere. A system showing color-codes for various gases will show concentrations of pollution compared to health limits set-out in the Abu Dhabi air quality guidelines. An EM Plan for the Abu Dhabi Civil Defense The following is an Environmental Management Plan to help control increasing pollution: 1. Marine Ecology – The Abu Dhabi Civil defense needs to setup a cell, which is responsible for monitoring levels of contamination to the water caused by dumping of hazardous wastes into the UAE seas. Maintaining a healthy level as prescribed by the UAE government. In the case of excess levels of toxins, appropriate measures need to be taken by the Civil Defense team to clear the levels of toxins. This is a continuous process, which will ensure that marine life, and the coasts are not harmed due to pollution. 2. Waste Management Initiative – The authorities in co-ordination with the Municipal body of Abu Dhabi need to initiate a programme to educate the citizens about waste management. The initiative should also include incineration of waste according to International ‘Environment Safe’ norms. Management of the waste in an eco-friendly manner will help reduce harm to land and water. Running drives with authorities and NGO’s to promote awareness of use of eco-friendly bags instead of using regular plastic bags on a mass level. 3. Setting up of a body to work with Road Transport Authority of Abu Dhabi – It is a known fact, that air pollution is very high in the gulf. Ensuring that citizens are educated about little things that could help reduce pollution like switching off car engines when anticipating a long wait. Ensure that the cars are adhering to Pollution levels by conducting regular checks on emissions. Integration of different public transport facilities such as metros, buses, railways so that they compliment each other as well as integration with other alternatives like walking, cycling etc. to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. 4. Helping reduce emission of CFC’s – The Abu Dhabi Civil Defense authorities in co-ordination with the local bodies like the Municipal Organization can conduct an awareness drive to educate citizens to turn off their air-conditioners during cooler months to reduce emission of CFC’s and other harmful gases in the atmosphere. Other than that, educating the citizens about regular maintenance of their air-conditioning systems as well as use of environment friendly aerosols and water based colours, which will contribute to improving the health of the emirate. The Abu Dhabi Civil Defense can also help NGO’s and other government organizations to help educate citizens about using eco-friendly bulbs instead of ones, which are not environmentally friendly. The endeavor should include phasing out the use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS). 5. Tapping Solar Energy – The Arabian region has plenty of sun throughout the year. The Abu Dhabi Civil Defense in co-ordination with local authorities should devise a long-term plan to tap solar energy and slowly replace the energy produced by conventional methods like nuclear energy. Use of solar energy has proved to be free of emissions, does not leave behind any harmful residue in the atmosphere. This is the biggest asset that the Gulf has and should strive to take advantage by implementing strategies. 6. Assisting in growing more trees – The Abu Dhabi Civil Defense can assist the Municipal body of the emirate to plant more trees in Abu Dhabi. This will help to take care of erosion as well as will help maintain a healthy level of oxygen in the atmosphere and also reduce a great amount of carbon. 7. Assisting in checking and levying fines on non-compliant organizations – The Abu Dhabi Civil Defense can assist other Government bodies, in conducting regular checks on polluting industries and units and ensuring that they adhere to the norms as prescribed to them. Non-compliance of adhering to the norms could result in heavy penalties to the companies or other penalizations as stated under the law. 8. Promoting use of Eco-friendly vehicles – The Abu Dhabi Civil Defense in co-ordination with the Road Transport Authority of the UAE can help promote use of hybrid vehicles, which can be used as ‘Green Cabs’. Replacing old taxis with new taxis like Toyota Primus Hybrid, which is an electric vehicle, or even conventional diesel vehicles, which run on locally sourced bio-diesel can help reduce air pollution to a great extent. References http://www.ead.ae http://thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081505/NATIONAL/391415799/0/BUSINESS http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_4_1.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_change/html/greenhouse.stm Air Quality and Atmospheric Pollution in the Arab Region. – http://www.ead.ae Olson Scott S. – Introduction to International Environmental Standards. THE GREEN GULF PROJECT -http://www.grc.ae/data/contents/uploads/greengulf_book_2458.pdf http://www.uae.gov.ae/Government/oil_gas.htm Read More