SCAD Marks World Environment Day

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 04th Jun, 2020) The Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi, SCAD, continues to work closely with the concerned authorities to protect and conserve the environment, by providing policy and decision makers with the latest data and statistics that help set policies and devise plans based on a professional and scientific basis, said Abdullah Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Acting Director-General of SCAD.

On World Environment Day, he said that since 1974, the occasion has been encouraging global awareness and action for the protection of our environment by preserving and protecting environmental resources, following sustainable practices, addressing climate change, promoting biodiversity and more.

"This day, specifically amidst the current global pandemic, offers an open invitation for all entities, institutions and individuals from the public and private sectors, to discuss the impact economic systems and social activities have on the environment, and the solutions that can be taken as a society to proactively mitigate the post COVID-19 environmental challenges facing our planet. More than that, it calls on them to consider their own actions towards the environment, and to protect it from the negative practices and habits we have adopted as human beings, as it is not only the state’s responsibility, but also an individual social responsibility we must all take on," Al Suwaidi added.

"Thanks to the vision and guidance of its wise leadership, and by continuously working to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development and optimally utilising its resources, the emirate of Abu Dhabi has made tangible achievements in the environmental field.

Government entities in the emirate pay great attention to a range of environmental issues, with many concerned with the preservation of biological diversity as a basis for life; an essential component of ecosystems that provide goods and services that support economic and social well-being," he went on to say.

"Our numbers indicate a significant improvement in air quality in Abu Dhabi, especially in light of the low traffic and lessened number of human activities during the past months. The concentration of sulphur dioxide decreased in the residential areas of Abu Dhabi during Q1 of 2020, with Al Ain improving the most by marking a 43 percent decrease. The concentration of nitrogen dioxide also decreased in the first quarter of 2020, specifically in the industrial areas of the emirate, where Mussafah improved the most by marking a decrease of 18 percent," Al Suwaidi explained.

World Environment Day, WED, is celebrated on 5th June every year, and is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment, engaging governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens to focus their efforts on a pressing environmental issue.