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Following a workshop hosted by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), which was the first step in a new government initiative to collect greenhouse gas emissions data in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Agency has been conducting workshops with various government agencies responsible for overseeing the major sectors responsible for emissions in the Emirate.
EAD’s Air Quality experts have been sharing knowledge on how these organisations can monitor and track their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, and how to interpret this data for EAD’s GHG Inventory project.
The GHG Inventory for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi will be used to help Abu Dhabi government develop strategies and policies to assess and monitor the levels of emissions as well as the ’sinks’ that absorb greenhouse gases such as managed forests. In addition to the role it will play to support EAD’s mandate to monitor and regulate air quality, this initiative is in line with the UAE’s efforts to fulfil its commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This convention requires signatory countries to establish and maintain a database about the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.
Since its inception, EAD has reached out to organizations across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to forge long-term relationships with them, as well as to educate and enable them to assess and interpret data on their own GHG emissions.
Through the workshops, EAD experts are equipping institutions with the interpretative research skills to effectively assess their emissions, in accordance with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and standards. Participants in the workshop represent varying sectors, including: energy, agriculture, land use and forestry, industrial processes and product use and waste. The attendees are provided with an overview of the project and work plan, how it works and the methodology.
While the project already involves direct collaboration between the Agency and numerous government entities, expanding the involvement to other entities is viewed to be an essential component in educating societal stakeholders on the importance of reducing our carbon footprint.
Commenting on the project, Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary General of EAD, said: "The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory initiative is in line with EAD’s strategic priority to monitor and assess the Emirate’s air quality, and will help us better understand the levels of emissions into our atmosphere. A critical success factor for this initiative is the cooperation of all the partners - both public and private. We are proud to be part of a national knowledge transfer exercise that will train the key members of our society on effective research methods to help enable Emiratis to effectively monitor emissions for future years to come." A greenhouse gas is an atmospheric gas which absorbs solar radiation and traps it within the Earth’s atmosphere. The GHG Inventory will compile data about gases specified in the Kyoto Protocol. These include Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Hydrofluorocarbons, Perfluorocarbons, Sulfur hexafluoride, Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds and Carbon monoxide, and will adopt the methodology used by the IPCC. It will also apply best international practices.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. The results and reports will be made available to the general public as well as government stakeholders.
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