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The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has launched a comprehensive program to monitor plastic waste in the country’s marine and coastal environments.
As part of the programme, a series of scientific studies will be conducted to strengthen efforts to reduce plastic waste.
The studies will use a variety of methods to measure the amount and size of plastic litter in the country’s seawater and beaches. The study aims to identify the types of plastic pollution in the country’s seas and then implement necessary preventive measures to ensure the safety and health of humans and marine life. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of adopting responsible consumption in society to minimize plastic waste and avoid its disposal in sea water and the environment in general.
Dr Mohammad Alhammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Marine Life at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said: “We continue to implement the latest global environmental protection practices to contribute to the conservation of natural resources and to reduce the impact of environmental pollutants on the environment. Negative impact. Human health and organisms. The Plastic Waste Monitoring Program in the UAE Marine Environment is one of our most prominent initiatives to monitor such waste and implement a range of measures to limit this pollution in all waters and beaches of the country thing.”
Alhammadi added: “The program contributes to the United Arab Emirates’ achievement of the 14th Sustainable Development Goal set by the United Nations, which aims to protect the oceans and marine resources and use them sustainably for sustainable development.
“Through this programme, we also seek to raise community awareness of the impact of plastic waste on the marine environment, which reflects the life of marine life and threatens fishery resources and human health. This drives us to guide our partners and all members of society to consume responsibly plastic products and dispose of them safely instead of discarding them in the environment. The upcoming period will witness the work of this program and demonstrate its results as soon as possible.”
As part of a program to monitor plastic pollution in the country’s waters and beaches, a team from the Marine Environment Research Center, which is affiliated with the ministry, has carried out a study to monitor plastic waste in the UAE’s marine and coastal environments.
United Nations Environment Programme, International Maritime Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, UNESCO, International Atomic Energy Agency, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
So samples were taken from nine beaches along the country’s coast to measure the amount of plastic litter. These samples included beach litter, macroplastics and microplastics. The collection method involved selecting two random areas of 100 m with 10 m between each location. One square meter each was taken in two random areas to measure the amount of beach litter and microplastics, and three 0.5 square meter squares were chosen to measure microplastics.
Seawater samples were collected from 14 sites along the country’s coastline to measure the amount of microplastics based on the topography and topography of coastal areas and the dynamics of ocean currents.
Collected beach litter is classified according to its type and weight, according to the classification system of the United Nations Environment Program and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNEP-GESAMP). The necessary tests are carried out in the laboratory of the Marine Environmental Research Center.
Plastic litter is currently one of the largest major sources of pollution in rivers and oceans, and a concerted effort is needed to ensure sustainable use of the marine environmental wealth. Plastic materials come in different sizes and shapes and are divided into microplastics – flakes smaller than 5 mm and macroplastics larger than 5 mm.
Plastic waste is considered one of the most challenging environmental issues as it affects water quality and soil, and threatens the survival of land and sea organisms as well as human life. Many countries around the world are trying to reduce plastic production to reduce the pressure on the ecosystem. – trade arab news agency
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