Storing carbon not solution for UAE's eco footprint

Dubai: With the UAE still topping the list of countries per capita with the worst carbon and ecological footprint, renewable energy laws are still non-existent despite the huge demand for it nationally, Gulf News has learned.

Senior environmental researcher at the Gulf Research Centre, Mohammad Rauof, said environmental policies have to be adopted quickly.

"In the Gulf most people live near coastal cities which is affecting urban needs, waste management and dumping, in turn affecting the marine ecosystems," said Rauof. "There are no laws for renewable energy but there should be because everybody is calling for it."

Measuring the monetary value of impacts would be better than using an ecological footprint measure as it does not take into consideration efforts being done abroad to compensate for environmental damage at home, said Rauof.

Kyoto protocol

Otherwise known as Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce killer emissions around the world, these efforts are often far-ranging and score credits for Kyoto-ratified countries like the UAE, something that has not been taken enough advantage of, he added.

The UAE ratified the Kyoto Protocol in January 2005. According to the protocol the UAE, as a non Annex 1 country, is not obligated to reduce its emissions. However the UAE could benefit by hosting foreign technology to reduce them anyway.

The implementation of technology by a foreign country with emissions targets to reach would score carbon credits to the benefit of the UAE.

"We did not take advantage of the CDMs available under Kyoto," said Rauof. "There are no renewable energy projects between the UAE and others - we are governed by the oil industry so we did not accept projects."

Not a solution

With the Kyoto Protocol deadline imminent in 2012 and emissions targets not reached, governments are trying to have carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) - the process of pumping Co2 gas underground and trapping it there - as a potential Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

"This is not a solution! The oil companies are using this method to boost oil output anyway with or without Kyoto," said Rauof.