Environmental Successes and Challenges in the United Arab Emirates


Book Description

The beauty and environmental wealth of the UAE benefit citizens of the country. Although there are ongoing environmental challenges in the Emirate, there are also opportunities to protect and preserve the UAE’s rich natural heritage and safeguard the health and well-being of its citizens. The agencies and businesses working in the UAE have the best of intentions regarding environmental protection and have set up successful environmental programs to address many of the challenges. Emiratis are committed to their work and the missions of their organizations. This paper suggests a number of ways UAE can act to enhance its ability to protect its people and natural assets to ensure a more sustainable future. Strengthening communication about the state of the environment and impacts on the environment is a key principle, as is enhancing the legal and regulatory framework for environmental protection. UAE can also make commitments to support compliance and enforcement functions of the oversight agencies who work with the environment. In addition, UAE can upgrade the research function to support science-based decision making. Although many protected areas previously existed, Wadi Wurayah (in Fujairah Emirate) was declared in 2009 as the UAE’s first protected mountain area. In addition to deserts, forests, mountains and wetlands, the UAE is endowed with a long coastline featuring picturesque beaches and pristine mangroves. There are hundreds of islands along the coast, and shallow areas where seagrass and corals grow. Migratory and non-migratory birds flourish in the islands and shallow coastal areas. The environmental and natural resources of the UAE offer a tremendous benefit to society. The marine ecosystems and mangroves support the fishing trade and individuals who enjoy participating in recreational fishing, boating and water sports. The terrestrial ecosystems, oases and wadis support traditional pastimes such as falconry, as well as the livelihood of farmers. Residents and tourists enjoy kayaking in the mangroves and fishing, kite surfing, desert sports, hiking and other outdoor activities in natural areas. Many local citizens enjoy spending time outside because of their Emirati Bedouin heritage and their traditions of date and camel farming. His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nayhan, the founder of the UAE, was a remarkable champion of the environment.




Sustainable Development Challenges in the Arab States of the Gulf


Book Description

The Arab Gulf states all face increasing challenges in terms of sustainable consumption and production. These include: - Environmental sustainability issues such as waste, recycling, water usage, energy, including the use of renewables, and pollution - Economic sustainability issues including employment opportunities for local people, education and training and engagement of business and individuals that make up the supply chains - Social sustainability issues such as safety at work, working hours, equality and diversity, noise, dust and pollution, traffic congestion, stakeholder engagement and community involvement in decision-making While much of the previous research on this subject has been Western-centric, the present book includes contributions on these topics from specialists from the UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Qatar as well as from the US and the UK.







Sustainable Development and Planning VII


Book Description

This book contains the proceedings of the seventh in a series of biennial conferences on the topic of sustainable regional development that began in 2003. Organised by the Wessex Institute, the conference series provides a common forum for all scientists specialising in the range of subjects included within sustainable development and planning. In order to ensure that planning and development can meet our present needs without compromising future generations, planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers, and economists must work together The use of modern technologies in planning gives us new potential to monitor and prevent environmental degradation. In recent years, in many countries an increase in spatial problems has led to planning crises. Planning problems are often associated with uneven development, deterioration of the quality of urban life, and destruction of the environment. The increasing urbanisation of the world, coupled with the global issues of environmental pollution, resource shortage, and economic restructuring, demand that we ensure a decent quality of life for our cities. Other environments, such as rural areas, forests, coastal regions, and mountains, face their own problems that urgently require solutions in order to avoid irreversible damage. Effective strategies for management should consider planning and regional development, two closely related disciplines, and emphasise the demand to handle these matters in an integrated way. The papers in the book cover such topics as: Regional Planning; City Planning; Sustainability and the Built Environment; Cultural Heritage; Environmental Management; Environmental Policies and Planning; Sustainable Tourism; Resources Management; Social and Political Issues; Rural Developments; Sustainable Solutions in Emerging Countries; Transportation; Energy Resources; Environmental Economics; Sustainable Assessment; Sustainable Development Indicators; Sustainability Modelling; Governance; Resilience; Community Planning; Planning for Equality; Quality of Life.







United Arab Emirates (UAE)


Book Description

The UAE¿s relatively open borders, economy, and society have won praise from advocates of expanded freedoms in the Middle East while producing financial excesses, social ills such as prostitution and human trafficking, and relatively lax controls on sensitive technologies acquired from the West. Contents of this report: (1) Governance, Human Rights, and Reform: Status of Political Reform; Human Rights-Related Issues; (2) Cooperation Against Terrorism and Proliferation; (3) Foreign Policy and Defense Cooperation With the U.S.: Regional Issues; Security Cooperation with the U.S.: Relations With Iran; Cooperation on Iraq; Cooperation on Afghanistan and Pakistan; U.S. and Other Arms Sales; UAE Provision of Foreign Aid; (4) Economic Issues.




Evolution of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates


Book Description

While today the military of the United Arab Emirates is described admiringly as a 'little Sparta', just 60 years ago the only security forces in the Emirates were the armed retainers of the Ruling Sheikhs and a small British-led, locally-raised Arab force. Through a combination of direct oversight by rulers, investment in its nationals, engagement of expatriates and the purchase of cutting edge military hardware, the UAE Armed Forces has become, arguably, the most capable Arab military. In the last decade, it has also gained considerable experience through its military operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. This book traces the little-known history of the country’s military from 1951 to 2020. It provides unparalleled detail on the constituent forces that evolved into the UAE Armed Forces in 1976, and how that unified force has evolved to the present. It provides essential background information on how the country’s geography, demographics and political system have shaped its military, the enduring roles of the military and the history of each military service. It also details the political and command structure governing the military, and its manpower and materiel characteristics. The book concludes with an explanation of how the UAE has been able to develop such a highly capable military for its size in a relatively short period of time.




The Untold Story of the World's Leading Environmental Institution


Book Description

The past, present, and possible future of the agency designed to act as "the world's environmental conscience." The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) was founded in 1972 as a nimble, fast, and flexible entity at the core of the UN system--a subsidiary body rather than a specialized agency. It was intended to be the world's environmental conscience, an anchor institution that established norms and researched policy, leaving it to other organizations to carry out its recommendations. In this book, Maria Ivanova offers a detailed account of UNEP's origin and history. Ivanova counters the common criticism that UNEP was deficient by design, arguing that UNEP has in fact delivered on much (though not all) of its mandate.




Environmental Politics in the Middle East


Book Description

Offers a critical and realistic reassessment of the threats posed to the environment in the Middle East, and what can be done about them.




A Natural History of the Emirates


Book Description

For many people, thoughts of the United Arab Emirates conjure images of ultramodern skyscrapers and rolling sand dunes. However, the Emirates are a rich mosaic of ecosystems and habitats that support surprisingly diverse communities of organisms, and there is growing awareness of the importance of these previously underappreciated natural assets. A Natural History of the Emirates provides a comprehensive overview of the unusual environmental setting of this young nation, and surveys the major ecosystems and the marine and terrestrial organisms occurring across the nation. From freshwater streams in the hyperarid Hajar Mountains to the world’s most temperature-tolerant coral reefs, the UAE is home to an astounding variety of uniquely adapted organisms that are providing insights into climate change and how organisms cope with and respond to extreme environmental conditions. The book closes with a section on human interactions with this unique environment, and proposes initiatives to ensure the protection of these unique natural assets into the future. This is an open access book.