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MOCCAE's Oceanic Mission: Monitoring Plastic Pollution | |
| Sumita Pawar |
The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) has initiated a programme to monitor plastic waste in the marine and coastal environments of the country as part of its efforts to preserve marine resources, seawater quality, and beach cleanliness.
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The programme will conduct scientific studies to measure the quantities and sizes of plastic waste in the country’s seawater and beaches and identify the types of plastic pollution in the country's waters.
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Alhammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Marine Life Sector at MOCCAE, said, "We continue to implement the latest global practises in environmental conservation to contribute to preserving natural resources and reduce the negative impacts of environmental pollutants on human health and living organisms.
"The plastic waste monitoring programme in the UAE’s marine environment represents one of our most prominent initiatives aimed at monitoring this type of waste and taking a number of measures to limit these pollutants in all the country’s waters and beaches."
H.E. Alhammadi added, "The programme contributes to the United Arab Emirate’s achieving the 14th Sustainable Development Goal set by the United Nations, which aims to conserve the oceans, seas, and marine resources and use them sustainably for achieving sustainable development.
The study aims to implement the necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety and health of humans and marine life and to raise community awareness about the impact of plastic waste on the marine environment.
The collected beach waste was classified according to its type and weight following the United Nations Environment Programme and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNEP-GESAMP) classification system.
The necessary tests were conducted at the Marine Environment Research Centre laboratories.