Abu Dhabi: More Abu Dhabi residents have started closing water taps while brushing their teeth and turning off lights and air-conditioners when not needed to save water and energy, a major survey has revealed.
The three-year Environment Awareness and Behaviour Survey conducted by Abu Dhabi Environment Agency (EAD) revealed that the percentage of environmentally aware people in Abu Dhabi has increased from 49 to 58.5 in three years.
Around 2,000 male and female residents from across the emirate of Abu Dhabi, comprising a broad mix of nationalities, ages and geographic location within the emirate, were surveyed.
The findings announced by senior EAD officials at an event in the capital yesterday revealed that more people were taking action to save energy: 40.6 per cent are turning off lights and air-conditioners when no longer needed.
Air-conditioning
About 80.2 per cent of the residents were willing to use less air-conditioning at home in 2010, compared to 76.9 per cent in 2009.
About 91.2 per cent of the residents said they were willing to switch to low-energy light bulbs at home, or to at least consider doing so.
About 37.7 per cent of the people now turn off televisions and DVD players after they finish viewing, compared to 14.1 per cent in 2009. Water availability is a key issue in Abu Dhabi, and a majority of the residents said they were willing to limit use to one bucket to wash their cars. About 26.86 per cent of the residents said they were willing to use less water at home (a large increase compared to 10.2 per cent in 2009).
Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary General of EAD, said: "The survey shows some encouraging changes in Abu Dhabi residents' understanding of environmental issues. However, it also highlights that more action is needed."
Eduardo Gonçalves, Director of EAD's Environmental Awareness Sector, said: "It is also good news that 51 per cent of the children surveyed have already participated in environmental education programmes, as this gives us hope that future generations will know how to manage our scarce resources wisely."
More than one in four residents (26.6 per cent) are taking active steps to reduce their consumption of plastic bags, compared to only one in almost seven people a year ago. One in four residents is actively buying environment-friendly products for use at home.
No rise in tariff yet
Although the survey shows that majority of Abu Dhabi residents believe that increasing the cost of utilities could check wasteful consumption, there will be no rise in tariff yet.
Officials said EAD will not make any such proposals to the government. About 39.5 per cent of respondents thought increasing the cost of energy would be the most effective way to encourage a reduction in consumption, while 47 per cent thought that if water charges were doubled it would decrease consumption by 5 per cent-25 per cent.
