An event being organised for staging at Expo Centre Sharjah puts the spotlight on serious environmental issues in the Middle East including the flaring of gas and circulation of dust and particles originating in factories.

Green Middle East 2011, scheduled for October 17 to 19, will take a hard look at the impact of energy and construction on the region’s air quality.

Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, director-general of Expo Centre Sharjah, observed: “It is a fact that the UAE has one of the highest per capita carbon dioxide emission rates in the world. Alarmingly, the underlying causes and rapid urbanisation along with air pollutants from construction and energy projects  point to a continuing deterioration of air quality.”

Al Midfa added: “Green Middle East brings together industry leaders from across the region along with internationally renowned sustainability experts, who will showcase the latest in cutting-edge technology to tackle the source and effects of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Pollutants
GCC nations control more than 60 per cent of global hydrocarbons, including 40 per cent of the world’s crude oil and 23 per cent of gas. Gas-flaring, which burns off unwanted by-products from various processes across the energy sector, is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

The UAE alone has more than 10 cement and clinker factories, with a total production capacity of 30 million tonnes, creating huge amounts of dust pollutants.

Expo Centre Sharjah, venue of the event

Green Middle East, the region’s most comprehensive platform for businesses involved in eco-friendly technologies, either directly or indirectly, features a dedicated air-pollution programme.

The event comprises an exhibition, conference, seminars and workshops highlighting strategies for tackling air pollution.

UAE firms up front
Given the high volumes of greenhouse gas emitted across the region, a number of companies from the UAE and other parts of the Gulf are also in the forefront of technologies to help address the problem.

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is planning one of the world’s largest carbon capture projects, a $3 billion initiative which will pump around 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into mature oil fields, increasing oil recovery, an Expo Centre Sharjah statement said.

The UAE is also part of the international effort to eliminate gas-flaring, looking at methods for reusing by-products, such as conversion into LNG or for use in power generation.

Green Middle East, which will be held in conjunction with Bee’ah, one of the region’s leading integrated environmental and waste management organisations, also addresses regulations, air quality standards and other legal and commercial issues of the industry.