Five UAE sites identified as areas of global ecological importance during EBSA workshop

Abu Dhabi, UAE – The UAE has identified five sites as areas of global biological and ecological importance during a recent regional workshop on Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the North-Western Indian Ocean and the neighbouring Gulf region. The workshop was hosted by the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water with AGEDI as a collaborator, in addition to representatives from the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Eritrea, Pakistan, India and various international and regional organisations. The identified sites – the Southwest Waters of Abu Dhabi and the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve in Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali in Dubai and Sir Bu Na’air Island, and Khor Kalba in Sharjah – were evaluated based on the criteria established during the ninth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Middle East’s first Ecocity World Summit calls for abstracts

The next Ecocity World Summit (ECWS), to be hosted in the Middle East for the very first time, has called on the wider community to submit abstracts for papers or presentations at the summit, set to be held in Abu Dhabi from 11 to 13 October 2015. Authors are invited to advance the state of thinking and inspire the next generation of ideas, projects and strategies for eco and smart cities of the future. If selected, authors will be given the unique opportunity to present their work to a top-calibre audience of local and international governmental, academic, private-sector leaders and eco-experts. The deadline for abstract submissions is 15 April 2015. Visit the ECWS page for more information.

Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi to boost environmental information for decision-makers

Over 650 delegates from government, UN bodies, the non-governmental sector, private sector, academia and civil society will gather in Abu Dhabi between 6 and 8 October for the Eye on Earth (EoE) Summit 2015, to bridge the information gap policy-makers face in designing plans for sustainable development.The experts gathered will explore solutions and actions necessary for greater access to, and sharing of, environmental, social and economic data to support sustainable development. The Summit will address the profound impact that rapid economic and industrial development is having on natural resources, biodiversity and consumption patterns around the world. These global challenges require international collaborative action to find transformative solutions that span political boundaries and help secure a sustainable future for all. One of the critical first steps – and the focus of EoE Summit 2015 – is to address the need for evidence-based decision-making that can benefit from the available wealth of scientific data, information and knowledge, if they are made more accessible to all. For more information, visit the EoE website.

AGEDI presents at Coral Reefs of Arabia Conference

Abu Dhabi, UAE – The Arabian region contains some of the most unique but understudied coral reef ecosystems on earth, including those in the Arabian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea.  The Coral Reefs of Arabia Conference, held at NYU Abu Dhabi from 15 to 17 February, brought leading scientists and marine managers studying these reefs together to exchange recent research findings, and to enhance collaboration to improve understanding and conservation of these important ecosystems. AGEDI’s work in Arabian Gulf Climatic Ocean Modelling was showcased at the event via a poster presentation, illustrating how climate change is expected to unfold in the oceans in the Arabian Gulf. Oceans Modelling is one sub-project of AGEDI’s Climate Change Programme – the most comprehensive study of the issue for the region.

Making Better Cities Panel Discussion

Abu Dhabi, UAE – In the run-up to the 11th edition of the Ecocity World Summit on 15 October, 2015, the longest-running conference series on urban sustainability, AGEDI hosted the Making Better Cities special event in Abu Dhabi with more than 100 attendees. Following welcoming remarks by H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary General of Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, a panel discussion commenced and was moderated by Anthony Mallows, Director of Masdar City. Panelists included Richard Register, Founder of Ecocity Builders; Dieter Salomon, Mayor of Freiburg City, Germany; Ng Lang, CEO of URA, Singapore; and Arab Hoballah, Chief of Sustainable Consumption and Production at the UNEP/DTIE. Discussion topics included smart growth, liveability, innovation in and financing of ‘going green’ schemes, obstacles to further improvement in urban sustainability, and moving to fully green city systems from present test zones.

Sustainability in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Bonn, Germany – At the Sustainability in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus conference (WEF Nexus), AGEDI underlined the organisation’s timely and unique role in data collection and sharing in the region. The links between water, food and energy for policy development were also discussed, all within a session titled the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Nexus Initiative for a Green Economy, Human Security, and Stability.

View the session presentation. 

Eye on Earth goes to Rio+20

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, through AGEDI, prepares to showcase the outcomes from the recent Eye on Earth Summit in December at the United Nations Conference on Sustainability Development (UNCSD) Rio+20 in 13-24 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Solar & Wind Atlas Partnership Agreement

Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, through AGEDI, today signed agreements with a number of entities formalising the funding contributions to the recently announced UAE National Atlas of solar and wind resources. The atlas will offer universal access to resource quality, grid, and land use data, helping to efficiently assess the feasibility of renewable energy projects for planning and investment decisions.