Dubai Environment

Evan Hoffmann Period 5

Problems/Fixes

Energy Use

Water Pollution

Air Pollution

Abu Dhabi

Tourism/Attractions

Tourism/Attractions New innovation plans for Dubai are offset by the unstable tourism developmentDubai is constantly overspending on attractions because they have too much money and don’t know what to do with itEfforts to make a cleaner environment will fail if Dubai only pays attention to business instead of the environmentWhile rich people in Dubai pay attention to business, poor people suffer from home loss and starvationDubai is constructing, and has constructed in the past, air conditioned, man-made beaches, which is just one example of some attractions they create

Tourism/Attractions Cont. Dubai plans to build a massive golf course designed by Tiger WoodsDubai is constructing a massive island project they named “The World” which is costing $14 billion dollars and has 300 individual islands within it“The World” is severely damaging marine/wild life, by redeposit/dredging of sand creates clouds of silt in the water which damages marine lifeConstruction of “The World” is burying coral reefs and oyster beds, and threatens other sea creatures like fish or crabs A different Palm Island project is being built on top of a former marine life reserve From construction of various projects/buildings, the Arabian Gulf has lost 35% of its habitat

Water Pollution Persian Gulf is terribly polluted by sewage/wasteDesalination plants-remove salt from salt water but produce large amounts of carbon dioxide and produce sludge that’s pumped back into the water Water is so polluted that at any given time, Dubai only has a four day water supply Polluted water in the Persian Gulf kills wild/marine lifeRapid growth of Dubai causes lack of sewage treatment operations

Persian Gulf

Water Pollution Cont. Dubai’s waste treatment plants have a capacity of 260,000 cubic meters of waste; right now they’re dealing with 480,000 cubic meters of waste While dealing with water pollution, Dubai is also building skyscrapers and other attractions without consideration of the environment Raw sewage is being poured into drains which worsens land pollution as wellAll of the water pollution in Dubai is caused by human activity Rise in terminal diseases if toxins/chemicals pollute the air from the polluted water

Air Pollution Terrible traffic jams are causing air pollution in Dubai Dubai is ranked the worst city for on road vehicle harmful emissions testingDubai scored 13% pollutants in the air on this test compared to Canada’s 4.7% with pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides Dubai, a developing country itself, scores very badly in emissions tests against other developing countries Air pollution is worsening because of fast urbanization and motorization in Dubai Motor vehicles have an increase of 12% annually in Dubai

Air Pollution Cont. Dubai has 541 vehicles per thousand of population, higher than New York (444) and London (345) There has been a 30% increase of on-road vehicles in Dubai since 2005-465,000 vehicles and 5000 taxis All of the vehicles combined in Dubai take 3.1 million trips each day with an estimated 13.1 million in 2020 Dubai has considered building a metro system to reduce the amount of cars being used Other solutions include reducing the amount of travel, reducing the amount of harmful emissions, and taking cars ten years or older off the road

Electricity/Energy Dubai is building too many skyscrapers without consideration of how they’ll get electricity and water to them Dubai is producing massive amounts of steel and aluminum which requires a lot of electricity and water Dubai is starting to use nuclear energy because of its lack of resources Nuclear energy leads to multiple problems-- its not a renewable energy source, and there needs to be proper disposal of nuclear waste Without proper disposal of nuclear waste, the waste could pollute the air, water, or ground depending on where it is disposed Various toxins in the atmosphere could cause a higher disease rate

Abu Dhabi One of the worlds largest oil producers Creating the Fund for Development, costing a $50 million dollar annual endowment for clean tech projects in DubaiThey’re building Madagascar City, the first large scale carbon neutral development meaning it emits as much carbon as it takes inMadagascar city is costing $22 million dollars and is powered mainly by solar panels, a clean energy sourceMadagascar city will make homes for 40,000 people in Dubai and it will be finished in 2016Abu Dhabi plans to launch a $250 million dollar Madagascar Clean Tech Fund

Madagascar City

Abu Dhabi Cont. Abu Dhabi is learning from Dubai’s environmental mistakes and helping them Formed a ground water monitoring system which keeps track of what’s in the water Starting to recycle by irrigating lawns and desert forests filled with residue waste Started a public awareness campaign about the environment The government wants to construct the UAE’s first water storage facility, which holds up to one months worth of water compared to previous four day supply Starting to use “western style” environmental standards for new building projectsMost of these new innovations will most likely carry over to Dubai if they haven’t already

Fixing Dubai Dubai is opening a new waste treatment facility After a financial crisis in Dubai, an estimated 400,000 workers left, which eased pressure on treatment plants Shelters are being built for waste breakdown The Environmental Protection and Safety Section (EPSS) has monitored Dubai air since 1988 The EPSS is has gradually been growing by involving adult programs, to business programs which help decrease air pollution

Waste Treatment Plant

Fixing Dubai Cont. Dubai is constructing more roads which helps to decrease traffic jams Dubai is constructing a metro system to have fewer cars on the road Dubai is moving government offices to the center of the city to help reduce traffic Dubai is starting to use thermal insulation , a process reducing heat transfer, which helps to reduce the use of fossil fuels

Bibliography "Dubai and Air Pollution." The Good Air Lady. Web. 17 Mar. 2011.

<http://www.thegoodairlady.com/dubai_and_air_pollution_000274.html>.

"Dubai Faces Environmental Problems After Growth." Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/business/energy-environment/28dubai.html>.

"Dubai's Artificial Islands Have High Environmental Cost." Conservation and Environmental Science News. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0823-tina_butler_dubai.html>.

Bibliography Cont."Dubai's Traffic Pollution among World's Worst - Transport - ArabianBusiness.com." Middle East Business News, Gulf Financial & Industry Events & Information - ArabianBusiness.com. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.arabianbusiness.com/dubai-s-traffic-pollution-among-world-s-worst-52827.html>.

"Middle East's Largest Theme Park Makes a Gimmick of Global Warming | Leo Hickman | Environment | Guardian.co.uk." Latest News, Comment and Reviews from the Guardian | Guardian.co.uk. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/sep/28/uae-global-warming-theme-park>.

"On Environmental Issues and Human Rights, Dubai Comes up More Dump than Trump « Greenfudge.org." Environmental News from a European Perspective - Greenfudge.org. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.greenfudge.org/2009/10/11/on-environmental-issues-and-human-rights-dubai-comes-up-more-dump-than-trump/>.