(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the planet's worst enemy in terms of air pollution and climate change, are increasing in Abu Dhabi emirate with the release of gases going up from 99 million tonnes in 2010 to 115 million in 2012, according to the latest reports.
The news is not surprising, given the emirate's economic and population growth. The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), which released on Monday the results of its second GHG Inventory Project for 2016, plans to work with its stakeholders to reduce carbon emissions substantially in the emirate. "In order to develop an effective emissions reduction programme, we have to understand the sources of emissions. GHG inventories are important not only because they provide the scientific understanding of emission sources, on which policy formulation is based, they also allow for the monitoring of progress of emission reduction schemes in an open and transparent manner," said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary general of EAD. While the first GHG Inventory published in 2013 used data from 2010, this second one, just published, was based on data from 2012, and also projects future GHG emissions to 2030. According to the findings, the energy sector, comprising electricity and water production, oil and gas, manufacturing and transport represent 74.1 per cent of total GHG emissions, followed by industrial processes (16.9 per cent), waste (7.3 per cent) and agriculture (1.7 per cent). Trees have the natural ability to absorb carbon emissions, but with Abu Dhabi lacking in extensive woodlands, it is up to its mangroves, small forests and palm trees to reduce emissions. But they have the capacity to sequester just six per cent of carbon emissions. "We are preparing a comprehensive national plan for climate change to reduce carbon emissions and promote national measures to mitigate climate change," said Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment. A scenario developed for the inventory showed that Abu Dhabi could reduce its GHG emissions by almost half. "The Extended Emission Control, a scenario that considers the improvement in production technologies and emission control measures in various sectors, showed that Abu Dhabi has the potential to reduce about 40 per cent emissions compared to its historical trajectory by the year 2030," said Eng. Shaikha Ahmed Al Hosani, deputy executive director of Environment Quality at EAD.
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