Environment Updates from UAE

Sharing with all of you a few news I had read recently.

1.     Air quality across the UAE and the wider Middle East has improved in the Month of May after people stayed at home to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. The data showed a 50 per cent decrease in the average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) [levels] in Abu Dhabi compared to the previous months. 

2.     Have you heard of Dugong?. Dugong is a species of sea cow found in throughout the warm latitudes of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Dugongs are found in Australia, the Arabian Gulf and parts of the Red Sea, northern and eastern coast of East Africa, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands. Australia has the largest population of Dugongs, followed by Abu Dhabi. The dugong's current distribution is fragmented, and many populations are believed to be close to extinction. The IUCN lists the dugong as a species vulnerable to extinction, while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species limits or bans the trade of derived products. The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) has announced that the mortality rate of dugongs has decreased significantly in the past year. 

3.     Do you think Rice Grow in a relatively hot place like the UAE. Well, let us read this news update from Sharjah, UAE wherein group of scientists in the UAE are learning to turn the dry deserts of Sharjah into land capable of nurturing this global staple. This is an attempt to grow more locally produced crops.

 1.     https://www.thenational.ae/uae/environment/coronavirus-stay-at-home-measure-improves-air-quality-1.998499

2.     https://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/news/438650-abu-dhabis-endangered-dugong-population-is-benefiting-from-environmental-protection

3.     https://www.thenational.ae/uae/environment/rice-grown-in-the-sharjah-desert-promises-bright-farming-future-1.1027981