Labworx

Production of food, whether it be from agriculture or aquaculture, often receives a bad rap in environmental terms. Growing crops and breeding animals to feed the world’s swelling population consumes vast amounts of energy and natural resources, as well as producing significant greenhouse gas emissions which pollute the air and contribute to global warming.

But while that might hold true for...

Historically speaking, the Middle East is a region which has built its vast reserves of wealth – not to mention its economic independence and infrastructure – on the extraction and exportation of fossil fuels. For that reason, it’s perhaps unsurprising that major oil-producing nations like the UAE and Saudi Arabia (and even the USA) have resisted urgent action on climate change in the past.

The UAE and the USA have announced they will be joining forces to launch the Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE), which has as its goal the generation of 100GW of additional clean energy across the globe by 2035. In order to achieve that ambitious target, the two countries will invest $100 billion in funds targeting clean energy and carbon emission abatement initiatives.

The agr...

Seven in 10 people living in the Emirates believe that action must be taken within the next five years in order to avoid the most damaging consequences of climate change and secure a sustainable tomorrow for future generations. Those are the findings of a nationwide survey conducted by global consultancy experts Kearney.

The study is a significant one, given that the UAE is set to host the C...

As a country blessed with vast reserves of oil and gas, the UAE has built its immense stores of wealth from the fossil fuel industry. However, concerns over the environmental impact associated with a continued reliance on these power sources has prompted the Emirati government to diversify its economic and energy portfolios over recent years.

Nowadays, petroleum accounts for just 30% of the ...

Major energy companies in France and the UAE have signed a strategic agreement to collaborate on carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS), among other topics. TotalEnergies, the French multi-energy conglomerate, is teaming up with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), to explore CCUS solutions.

The accord was made during His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan’s visit to the Fre...

The UAE has signalled its intention to become a regional and global leader in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by publishing a roadmap towards cleaning up the air travel industry. The white paper, called “Power-to-Liquids Roadmap: Fuelling the Aviation Energy Transition in the UAE”, is a joint venture between the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Clean...

In the UAE, Sharjah is renowned for its forward-thinking policies when it comes to water management. Not only has the emirate recently doubled its strategic wastewater treatment capacity, but it is also actively pursuing solutions to recycle the treated water and turn a waste product into a usable commodity.

However, a recent study into emerging contaminants in Sharjah wastewater effluent re...

Micropollution is an issue that is dominating an increasing number of column inches and policy meeting minutes around the globe. But while it’s a concern for everyone, it could pose an even greater problem for countries where water scarcity is rampant – such as the UAE.

That’s because hot and arid climates like that of the Emirates produce very little rainfall, so groundwater reserves are be...

The problem of unclean drinking water is one which plagues the global population. According to recent estimates, some 1.8 billion people are exposed to water containing damaging pollutants such as faeces on a daily basis. UNICEF believes that 1,800 children die each day from drinking water-related diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea.

Fortunately, there have been some encouraging breakthro...