As we ponder upon the question of Air pollution in various countries, I would also like to talk about the Air Pollution and Air Quality levels in the UAE and in the Middle East. But, since my fellow co-Ambassadors have already given a detailed explanation in this regard, I would like to approach this from a different level as well.

 

In 2015, the World Bank published 'The Little Green Data Book' and claimed UAE as the 'country with the most polluted air.' Before technically defining why this statement stands right/wrong, I would like to shine light on a few figures:

 

UAE

 

Environment and health PM2.5 pollution, mean annual exposure (μg/cu. m) = 80

PM2.5 exposure (% pop. exceeding WHO guideline level) = 100

CO2 damage (% of GNI) = 0.5

Air pollution damage (% of GNI) = 0.2

 

Now, the question arises as to why the World Bank has marked UAE in such a manner. Some studies suggest that this may be due to the fact that 'The statistics presented in The Little Green Data Book are merely a snapshot of a remarkable story and journey towards prosperity and responsibility' as stated by Bee'ah, Sharjah's leading environmental company.

 

Bee?'ah has also clearly stated its non-effective adherence by stating, "In terms of population, UAE is currently a little above 10 million. This is an important consideration when this country is ranked beside the likes of the United States, India and China - which have populations of above 300 million, 1.2 billion and 1.3 billion respectively. The UAE is considerably smaller and significantly less populated than the neighboring nations in The Little Green Data Book. The country's overall environmental impact is much lower than that of other nations," said the Sharjah environment company. This was as reported by Khaleej Times on 17^th September 2015.

 

With more than 46 Air Quality monitoring stations in the UAE, the UAE government has formulated some special legislations regarding the reduction of emissions, resulting in lower air pollution.

 

One very important point to be noted here is as stated by Bee?ah, that the UAE is quite a small country. In a country like India, which houses 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, its population density and large geographical size are good enough to cover up for the pollution levels in the hubs, especially when statistics are made in comparison to cubic meters.

 

The Ministry of Environment and Water has taken the lead and has lately signed an agreement with several governmental bodies for the positive launch of a UAE Air Quality Network.

 

The Little Green Data Book, which said that the UAE was the 'country with the most polluted air', which was immediately rejected by Fahed Hareb, director of air quality at the Ministry of Environment and Water.  Mr Hareb also said measures had been introduced to counter these claims and to ensure that the UAE's air quality continued to improve.

Preventative measures have also been introduced by the Government, such as the deregulation of petrol, to reduce harmful emissions. Other schemes include the UAE Cabinet's decision to regulate crusher and quarrying operations and cement and asbestos production, all of which affect air quality.

 

One extremely important step that the government of Dubai has taken up very seriously, is increasing the rates for public parking in parking lots and parking on the side of the road, to increase the use of public transport, which further results in reduction of the air pollution levels in the country.

 

So, dear Ambassadors, it is up to you to decide, whether or not this claim was truly correct.

 

As for the Middle East, the situation is no different. There have been many increases in the air pollution levels in most countries like Libya or Syria, mainly because of the fact that there have been a series of geopolitical and armed conflict.

 

The Middle East as been the region with one of the fastest growing air pollution levels, quite similar to East Asia. But I am sure that with the combined efforts of citizens and government agencies, we can combat Air Pollution levels, in whatever region or country. :')  

 

 Sources:

Khaleej Times

The National

The Guardian

The Little Green Data Book