Dubai: “The time has come to fight the destruction of natural capital by humans because of their unsustainable activities and rampant exploitation,” the Minister of Environment and Water said on Saturday, calling on people to adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles.
He was speaking at the Star Atrium in Dubai Mall, where he inaugurated an exhibition celebrating World Environment Day 2015.
The event featured a performance by the Dubai Police Music Band and a number of stalls, workshops and programmes dedicated to educating the public on the substantial depletion of natural resources, and encouraging them to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.
World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on June 5 across the world. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and aims to raise global awareness on pressing environmental issues and motivate positive environmental action for the protection of nature.
Celebrations for WED 2015 in the UAE were inaugurated by Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water. Celebrations were held under the theme ‘Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Let’s Consume with Care’. The event was organised by the ministry in cooperation with Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority and marks its fifth consecutive year.
“Our planet is facing tremendous environmental challenges involving a number of natural and human risks,” Bin Fahd said, “The time has come to display concerted individual efforts on a global level to fight the destruction of natural capital by humans because of their unsustainable activities and rampant exploitation. The theme for this year’s celebration has been thoughtfully selected to urge people to practise careful and judicious consumption. This confirms the underlying strength of an individual and his/her ability to bring desired changes in the environment through sensible and sustainable use of resources.”
Bin Fahd added that the ministry aims to raise awareness about sustainability through the celebration of World Environment Day. Furthermore, it wants to address wasteful and unsustainable consumption patterns to preserve natural resources such as water, energy and food.
“All members of the community must show interest in the preservation of environmental resources and the rationalisation of consumption, especially of water and energy,” he said, urging the minimisation of waste generation and closer attention to recycling issues as such positive and civilised practices can lead the path to progress and prosperity.
Dr Mohammad Al Zarouni, Vice Chairman and CEO, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, said: “The global population is consuming far more natural resources than planet earth can sustainably provide. This is creating an imbalance of sorts, putting mankind at odds with his environment. In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Water, our role at DSOA, in organising this event, is to highlight the alarming pattern of consumption against production that, if continued, will strip the planet of its nurturing and nourishing qualities.”
The DSO has recently introduced various initiatives under its CSR environment pillar such as the Smart Waste Management programme, a fleet of electronic vehicles and the implementation of the region’s first sub-surface irrigation system that reduces water consumption by 40 per cent.
A number of government departments and private sector organisations participated in the celebration of World Environment Day, including the UAE Ministry of Energy, Zayed International Foundation for the Environment, Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority, Dubai Healthcare City, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Environmental Centre for Arab Towns, Al Serkal Group, and the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources.
