DUBAI, 25 December 2005 - An environmental workshop in Dubai on Thursday ended with a call to develop a model of sustainable development that will hold the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in good stead in the future.
Organized as part of the "Green Gulf" project, the workshop was jointly hosted by the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center (GRC) and New Delhi-based TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute). The project aims to study the state of environment and natural resources in the region, both critical for the Gulf and the world.
The GRC-TERI partnership is a scientific attempt to address some of problems facing the region in the form of unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, GRC Chairman Abdulaziz Sager said, adding, "Given several constraints in assessing the environmental damage due to the non-availability of or inconsistent data, which hinders devising and implementing solutions, the Green Gulf project is a beginning toward addressing the deficit."
Highlighting the larger benefits of such a project, TERI Director-General Dr. R.K. Pachauri said "a green approach to development has an economic dimension". He cited the examples of water, air and marine pollution resulting in huge health expenditure bills for the governments, declining fishing prospects, absenteeism at workplaces and higher mortality rates.
"The region is rich in oil, but not in the quality of soil. But science and technology can help in its revival, which is bound to have an economic spin-off," said Dr. Pachauri, who is also the chairman of the Geneva-based Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
While it is important to create a foundation wherein the region can conform to international pacts on the environment in the future, Dr. Pachauri said "the green approach is even more important for local reasons." He added that "there is a window of opportunity and we have to use it to create an awareness campaign involving decision makers, corporate leaders, ordinary people and students. I hope we can build on this report as a blueprint and an enabler for action that will make the countries of this region more environmentally conscious and protectors of the wealth of nature."
About 30 environmentalists from all the GCC countries participated in the review of the draft report prepared by a team of researchers from the two institutions. The experts, who were invited to make comments and suggestions, said that the study was a major step toward filling the existing information gap in the region and proposed developing a library on environmental issues for future reference.
The delegates from regional government departments and agencies, academic and research institutions and international organizations suggested better use of remote sensing and GIS technology for identification of sensitive zones and monitoring the process of land degradation due to physical alteration and pollution.
Among the other recommendations discussed were documenting economic utilities of flora and fauna, with attention to traditional knowledge systems and their role in the conservation of biodiversity; analysis of water pricing and subsidies in the agriculture sector and its effects on consumption; analyzing and highlighting initiatives such as water reuse and R&D on treatment technologies for reuse.
The first edition of the Green Gulf report will be released in February 2006 to coincide with the Special Session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which is scheduled to be held in Dubai.
"We will distribute copies of this report to government departments, NGOs, research institutes and universities and seek their comments, which will be incorporated in the final edition," Sager said.
As part of its awareness campaign, the GRC-TERI partnership, in association with the American University of Sharjah, is scheduled to organize a Youth Conference on Environment in February.
