UAE’s changing environmental security

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UAE’s changing environmental security

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Table of content
Introduction .................................................................................................4
The Environment and Environmental security ......................................................4
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Climate changes ..................................................5
Rapid urbanization and tourism ........................................................................7
Environmental pollution, dust storms, and air quality ..............................................9
The growing water deficit and increasing desalination plants ....................................10
The threat of food security ...............................................................................13
The risk of rising sea levels ..............................................................................14
Efforts being made by UAE ..............................................................................15
Conclusion ................................................................................................. 17
References .................................................................................................18

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Introduction
The UAE, like other countries across the world, is facing the issues of environmental
security. Rapid development increased tourism, and continued economic growth have added to
the stress of the problem. The growing consumption of natural resources exerts a strain on the
environment and creates a larger ecological footprint. For the UAE government, the environment
and environmental security are the top priority today. Rapid urbanization and tourism plus the
climate changes have raised environmental pollution, increased dust storms, and lowered air
quality. UAE’s fossil fuels are the main factor behind the economic activity. Plus, the increasing
desalination plants to fill in the growing water deficit and the risk of rising sea levels are further
deteriorating the environmental conditions. Efforts are being made by UAE to deal with the
threat of food and environment security. The region needs to take concerted and practical steps to
lower the greenhouse gas emissions due to an increase in population and its consumption. The
challenges UAE faces due to climate change, rapid development and increased consumption are
immense. What holds the key is environmental security with sustainable development.

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Introduction
The UAE was established in 1971 as a federal state and includes seven emirates, namely,
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Um Al Quwain, Sharjah, Fujairah and Ajman Ras Al Khaimah. The UAE is
considered a leading political force in the Middle East (MarketLine 16). Rapid development and
continued economic growth have raised the standard of living. However, increased consumption
of natural resources has led to a greater ecological footprint. The UAE has been actively taking
steps to avert water wastage, lower CO2 emissions and add to its environmental security. The
paper evaluates the different aspects behind the changing environmental security, the risks
involved and what the UAE government is doing to combat those risks.
The Environment and Environmental security
Environmental security is essential for any nation as it inspects the risks created by
environmental events and trends to the nation and its population. Environmental security
prevents or repairs any damage to the environment, responds to environmental conflicts and
safeguards the environment (InforMEA). The relation between humans and the environment has
become an important focus in recent years. WHO states four categories of environmental
pollution, the burning of solid fuels indoors, particulate substances in outdoors, pathogens in
water and carcinogens in industrial environments. According to WHO, every year, there are
thirteen million deaths due to these risks. Environmental risks include outdoor air pollution,
drinking water contamination, indoor air pollution, occupational exposures, coastal water
pollution, and climate change globally (MacDonald et al. 3). Population growth and rapid
urbanization can create several environmental problems such as variations in hydrological
processes, shortage of water resources and as the effect of urban heat island (Shanableh et al. 1).
The impact of climate change is already felt by several countries such as rising sea level,

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changing the hydrological cycle and extreme weather events. The human activities are further
intensifying those negative impacts of climate changes.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Climate changes
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a prime example rapid urbanization in the past few
decades’ and has become a scientific importance to environmental researchers. The
environmental researchers are keen to study the impact of the rapid transformation from desert to
urban cities, surges in traffic, very high temperatures and changes in lifestyle patterns (Karin et
al. 632). Before the 1970s, the UAE populations lived a nomadic lifestyle or dwelled in reed huts
which were naturally ventilated. Modern building practices have led to tightly insulated
buildings (Karin et al. 633). The UAE, before the discovery of oil in 1958 was looked upon as on
the poorest nations in the Arab world. There were no modern schools, telephone system or public
hospitals. However, by 2010, the UAE had become the third primary gross national income per
capita: $59,993 in the world (MacDonald et al. 1). Infant mortality rates have gone down, and the
life expectancy has risen.
Climate changes are not a new phenomenon and have been taking place for centuries. It
is the climate fluctuations that take place over shorter frequencies that can lead to climate
variability. There is growing evidence that the global warming witnessed in the last few decades
is the result of human activities. The overall climate transformation is posing as a threat to
human health and populations and is a significant threat to nature and humanity in the 21st
century (Salam 458). Humans rely on the stability of the ecological and physical systems of the
earth. The climate system is a vital force that supports life on the planet. However, it is coming
under pressure due to urbanization, population rise, and economic activities, and one can see the
impacts of climate around the globe. There are much more extreme events of climate like

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stronger storms, increasing sea levels, melting glaciers, and more droughts. The surface of the
planet has heated by about 0.8°C over the past century (Salam 458). The climate change will
impact flora and fauna of that particular region as well as the cultural identity of the people. The
geomorphology of the dry regions of the world relies on the contact of wind and water. The wind
carries sand and dust to slopes, and from there they are relocated by water in channels. Aeolian
and fluvial procedures create significant biogeochemical connections between the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, pedosphere, and biosphere. Environmental scientists understand the importance of
studying aeolian–fluvial interactions to understand channels and dunes in the arid regions (Pain
and Abdelfattah 14). The Arabian Deserts today are not what they were a couple of decades ago.
The prehistoric lake deposits in the Arabian deserts show that they experienced much more
humid conditions when compared to the present.
The climate change in UAE is already leaving health and environmental effects due to the
current warming trend and increased incidences of extreme weather events (Salam 459). The
UAE region is dry and has sunny days all year round. The weather along the shoreline is hot and
moist and is dehydrated in the interiors, and dust-laden sandstorms frequently hit the coast. UAE
has minimal resources of renewable water, and the majority of that is used for the farming
activity, industrial purposes and the rest for drinking. The oil and gas industry sectors, power and
transportation sectors are the most significant sources of pollution. Poorly, Environmental
Performance Index (EPI), ranks the country as asserted by Vij and Viz (46). In Saudi Arabia, the
exploitation of water resources and excessive water consumption for domestic purposes and
agriculture activities have depleted groundwater resources. The human activities and land use
change plus a growing population, severe droughts and food security have only enhanced the
issues (Mahmoud and Gan 1330). Forestlands have been replaced by agriculture fields and