Dubai: With some of the world's biggest oil reserves in the region and others being discovered globally, oil will be the top energy source for many years to come, said the minister of Environment and Water, Rashid Bin Fahd at the opening of Offshore Arabia 2010.

Bin Fahd called for better environmental protection measures to coincide with the growth of the oil market.

Certain procedures have already been undertaken in the UAE such as adopting renewable energy and nuclear energy for peaceful use to meet energy needs predicted for 2020, Bin Fahd said. He added that reducing CO2 emissions remains one of the UAE's biggest challenges.

"Undoubtedly the conference is most important as it comes at a turning point after we have experienced the financial crises and fluctuating price of oil," he said. "We should note that oil will always be a major source of energy here and it is a challenge for us as it is produced here."

Efforts to protect the marine environment from oil spills and accidents, which will occur during oil exploration and transport must be increased, he said. Other issues facing the marine environment include management of ballast waters at sea. "An important problem is algae blooms which has affected aqua culture, desalination and tourism. Initiatives were taken to fight pollution at sea in coordination with the Regional Clean Seas Organisation [Recso]," said Bin Fahd.

Protecting species

The region's environment is rich with thousands of plant species and insect species that have been recorded, and some found to be new to science, said Dr Walter Erdelen, director general for Natural Sciences at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), in a statement.

"The documentation of orca whales in the Gulf as well as dugongs and dolphins, baleen whales and numerous coral reefs that deserve to be protected" he said.

Khamis Bu Amim, chairman of Offshore Arabia 2010, and president and chief executive officer of Recso, said oil companies often invest the most in environmental protection. "As more expansion [in oil exploration and discovery] has led to more marine cargo and trade, many companies have paid a lot of attention to environmental development challenges and made concerted efforts to avoid catastrophes," he said.

"Oil will be the number one energy resource for many years to come — it's limited but it is still available and reserves have been increasing with 3.4 trillion barrels of oil estimated," said Bu Amim. He added that renewable energy in the region is complimentary at the moment. The UAE's goal is to generate seven per cent of energy through renewables by 2020.