Environmental assessment and permitting operations carried out by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) in 2021 reveal that 60 square kilometers of marine critical habitats and 850,000 meters square of terrestrial critical habitats have been protected.
This is in addition to a reduction of more than 2800 cubic meters of toxic waste from drilling operations, and a 99 percent reduction in air pollutants emissions from the fluorine industry.
The purpose of the assessments is to identify the potential environmental impacts of project and facility activities during the early design stages, to ensure implementation of best available practices and compliance with Abu Dhabi’s environmental laws and regulations.
EAD has also completed permitting the commissioning of clean energy projects that save about 11 million tons of carbon emissions per year, or the equivalent of the emissions of 2.4 million cars, had the energy been generated using fossil fuels.
EAD also completed the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Programme. This involved the development of a proposed implementation program, which aims to embed environmental considerations into the designs for strategic projects, master plans and development programs.
Eng. Faisal Al Hammadi, EAD’s Acting Executive Director of the Environment Quality Sector said, “Throughout the emirate of Abu Dhabi, we are keen to ensure that all new facilities adhere to environmental laws and regulations, and we aim to achieve this right from the inception of the project.”
“Figures reveal that there are an increasing number of industries and developers adopting best environmental practices, which means that we are on track towards ensuring Abu Dhabi is a healthy environment for all,” he added.