Under the slogan “Best GCC Environmental Practices”
Dubai, 24 June 2021: Dubai Municipality organized a virtual seminar under the slogan, “Best GCC Environmental Practices,” as part of its activities to celebrate the GCC Environment Day, in the context of the Gulf countries’ interest in the environment and awareness programs aimed at enhancing the protection of the local environment and natural resources, in addition to seeing what is new, distinctive and that serves the environmental sectors of other departments.
The symposium witnessed the participation of many authorities at the local and GCC levels to learn about the best practices and innovations through which to preserve the environment and reach to the world.
One of the latest innovations and achievements made by Dubai Municipality is the launch of the first environmental satellite for the year 2021, in order to know and study everything related to air quality and climate changes in the Emirate of Dubai and the UAE. The satellite, called DMSat, was launched specifically from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, to be the first nanometric satellite launched by Dubai for environmental purposes, as it was equipped with the latest technologies used in environmental monitoring from space in the world.
It should be noted that the nanometric satellite, DMSat-1 weighs about 15 kilograms, and carries many devices and sensor systems that monitor greenhouse gases, which cause global warming, as well as pollutants and fine particles suspended in the air.
The importance of the environmental satellite launch project is that it is a great and exceptional opportunity that will enable the emirate to build and enhance its research and technical capabilities in the fields of environmental scientific research.
The main objective of launching the satellite is to build a space database for data on air pollutants and greenhouse gases that cause climate changes, in order to use it with the data collected from the network of ground stations available at Dubai Municipality, which consists of 72 stations for monitoring the air environment, in various advanced environmental studies and applications that are implemented to support the preservation of the environmental sectors (air, water and soil) from pollution and depletion, as well as providing the opportunity to exploit the development witnessed by the scope of space technology, to serve the environment.
Among the most important aspirations is that satellite data will be employed to study the impact of land uses, climatic factors and seasonal changes on the spread and concentrations of dust and greenhouse gases that cause global warming, one of the environmental challenges facing many urban areas as a result of urban development and the expansion of industrial and development activities and infrastructure projects, besides the significant increase in the various means of transportation, land, air and sea.
The seminar also presented best practices with the participation of many parties, including:
Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment presented a video showing the Green Barjeel project, one of the Ministry's pioneering initiatives and projects in the field of environmental protection and development. The Green Barjeel is an innovative project that develops a low-carbon area for the production of local microalgae on a daily basis, which absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen gas.
Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure
The participation of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure touched on the potential for urban growth to have a negative impact on the natural environment, as the natural environment provides exceptional biodiversity in the UAE, and it is important to preserve and enhance it through sustainable growth. Accordingly, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has developed sustainable standards for the construction sector, regulates and encourages building practices that promote conservation of the natural environment, protect sensitive ecosystems, and reduce negative impact on the climate, including prioritizing water conservation and reducing air pollution.
Dubai Police Academy
The Dubai Police Academy has launched a master's program in Law and Environment, which focuses on developing knowledge and research capabilities related to local and international legislation that contribute to preserving the environment.
ENOC Station
Through its participation, ENOC Station highlighted the most prominent features and characteristics of the station using the latest technologies that contribute to providing the finest services to visitors within the framework of preserving the environment.
Sharjah University
The University of Sharjah presented a project and path linking education with agriculture to enhance the issue of food security, environmental preservation and sustainability, through the establishment of a sustainable garden at the university. It produced more than 500 kg of organic fertilizer from the organic waste generated by the university, and more than 85 kg of organic tomatoes and 15 kg of various vegetables were harvested over the past year.
Dubai Customs
Dubai Customs plays its primary role in monitoring the trade of endangered animals and their products and combating their smuggling. Dubai Customs has developed an action plan to implement an ongoing program of campaigns to spread awareness on the protection of endangered animals across the country.
Fujairah Municipality
The Fujairah Municipality gave a presentation on Think Green app, whose idea is based on sorting waste from the source, and it is an important step in consolidating the principles of sustainability and spreading environmental and health awareness among various segments of society.
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture
The center presented a series of successful agricultural experiences through an environmental explanatory film from the center, and from other farms that apply innovative means in planting mangroves.
As for the participation of the GCC states, they were from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from:
Al Ahsa Governorate
Al Ahsa Governorate is working to reduce environmental risks and achieve sustainable development through the implementation of a project to rehabilitate the landfill in Al Ahsa, with the aim of eliminating harmful gases resulting from the decomposition of organic matter of waste and converting it into electrical energy, which can be used in the operation of other facilities.
Holy Makkah Municipality
It participated by presenting the latest developments in preserving the environment, the latest practices and the latest development methods, in addition to focusing on agriculture and increasing the green area in the region to reduce the carbon footprint and increase the aesthetic aspect, in addition to many innovations to preserve the environment.
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