Dubai: To celebrate World Environment Day, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) has rolled out three national initiatives “to advance the UAE’s efforts to conserve and restore ecosystems.”
World Environment Day, first observed in 1974 by the United Nations, is celebrated every year on June 5. The day is observed worldwide to raise awareness and action for the protection of the environment. This year’s theme is ‘Ecosystem Restoration’.
Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “Over five decades, the UAE has worked hard to ensure that its development journey did not come at the expense of the environment.” “MOCCAE continues these efforts through an integrated approach that combines effective environmental legislation and regulations with on-the-ground action.”
“As we celebrate World Environment Day, we are proud to announce three new initiatives that will help develop game-changing solutions to environmental issues and inform decision making,” he underlined.
Climathon 2021
One of the initiatives by MOCCAE was signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with idea innovator company Ideanco to Climathon, a hackathon that will run from October 2 to 12 this year.
The hackathon will bring together the brightest minds to present promising cleantech ideas with a potential global impact that can help solve common challenges to air quality, mobility, and agribusiness.
The MoU will also engage the youth in ecological preservation and support environmental start-ups.
UAE State of Green Economy report
MOCCAE has recently published the fourth edition of the UAE State of Green Economy Report, highlighting long-term post-COVID-19 recovery strategies in green and digital economy as well as the achievements of government and private sector green growth initiatives.
Also outlined in the report was the implementation framework of the UAE Green Agenda and its progress in the last five years.
Chemical research platform
MOCCAE has also launched the UAE Chemical Research Platform, a research network that studies the effects of chemicals on humans and the environment with the aim of promoting the use of clean production technologies and building the capacities of workers in the field of chemicals management.
