The UAE celebrated the 21st National Environment Day today on 4 Feb. The theme for UAE's celebration is "Sustainable Production and Environment" for the second year to enable UAE continue the path towards sustainable production and consumption patterns.

President Sheikh Khalifa said that the excessive consumption of the UAE's resources of any kind will be detrimental to the future of our children.

Dr. Al Zeyoudi UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment said that quick population growth and steep increase in income levels during the economic boom have caused non-sustainable production and consumption patterns with high ecological footprint per capita, high water, energy and food consumption rates, high waste production and carbon emissions rate.

The UAE has implemented many policies, legislations and measures to promote sustainability, including the most important "UAE Energy Strategy for 2050". Its objective strives to take the share of clean and renewable sources of energy to 27 per cent by 2021 and 50 per cent by 2050.

The UAE has also worked to preserve groundwater and helped farmers to adopt environmentally friendly practices in agriculture, conservation of fish and livestock resources.

A conservation reserve "Marmoom Reserve project", covering 10 per cent of the Dubai emirate's total area was launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, last month.