# #TOPIC: Dubai and Global Warming



## Trances (May 19, 2003)

yep jet boat it away


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## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

Coastal survey studies impact of development 


Dubai: Scientists are conducting the biggest survey of Dubai's coastline using an aircraft packed with cutting-edge technology. 

Analysts from Australia are flying along the coastline to figure out what changes the wave of development is having on the environment.

Sophisticated lasers are revealing the depth of the seabed across a 65-km stretch of coastline.

Data from the survey will be vital for engineers planning future developments on the Dubai coast.

Subsequent surveys, when compared with the current one, will show what effects such projects as The World and The Palm developments are having on the seabed, said Khalid Al Zayed, head of coastal management for the municipality.

Australian firm Tenix is using a twin-propeller De Havilland Dash-8 aircraft to carry out the survey work.

The flights, most of which take place during the late afternoon and evening, began on October 1 and will continue until the end of the month.

Tenix will spend months analysing the data before handing in a report on the coastline to Dubai Municipality, which selected the Australian company following an open tender.

"This is the best way of identifying what's happening along the coastline. We will have comprehensive information about the whole of the offshore, and that will be a useful management tool," said Al Zayed.

"When we develop a structure or carry out reclamation, we need to know the existing water depths when planning the work."

By using an aircraft, the time taken to collect the data is cut from up to two years to just a few weeks, and the cost of the project is reduced by as much as a third.

The aircraft shoots an infrared laser beam of 900 pulses per second towards the sea and the time taken for the light signals to return shows the depth of the water.

It enables a detailed profile of the seabed to be created that could help improve the accuracy of nautical charts that are vital for keeping shipping safe.

Scientists are using the system called Laser Airborne Depth Sounder or Lads to survey up to 25km offshore.

It is most effective in water that is less than 70 metres deep, making it ideal for the Arabian Gulf.

"This is unique technology, it really is cutting-edge and Dubai Municipality has taken the lead in using it," said Robert Caprile, Tenix's business development manager.

A video of the whole coastline is also being taken by the aircraft, which has two pilots and two surveyors on board.

The laser technology was originally developed by the Royal Australian Navy, and has since been used by Adelaide-based Tenix to analyse coastal areas off Norway, the UK, the US and Qatar.

Tenix is scheduled to present its final report to the authority by May.


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## Qatar4Ever (Feb 3, 2004)

simple solution!! stop global warming by buying qatar natural gas!!  Problem solved!


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## Skoulikimou (Aug 20, 2004)

The world will end by 2014 , the apocalypse is coming we can't conquer deth .....................DEATH IS INEVITABLE


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## DUBAI (Aug 24, 2004)

well untill the 'inevitable death of us all, lets all calm down and lay on one of the palms beaches.


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## Trances (May 19, 2003)

yep enjoy it, if happens there will be bigger problems that a few flooded island off Dubai
so best way to pass the time until then would be on these fantastic creations


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## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

what i also don't like when people say the palm islands will sink one day, when the sealevel rises.

what do you think would happen to hong kong, nyc, la,...? think about it


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## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

The Gulf is a closed sea, so the rise in level of waters would be slightly less then in Oceanic costal cities.


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## Taufiq (Oct 14, 2004)

Altind_Carnut said:


> The Gulf is a closed sea


Exactly, never really saw the point of this debate.


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## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

another very interesting article!!!


UAE cautioned on global warming 

Global warming could have devastating effects on the UAE unless more is done to stop temperatures from rising, environmentalists said. People living in the UAE should use cars less and buying small cars instead of gas-guzzlers.

The summer heat could endanger lives and buildings, deter tourists from visiting and disrupt agriculture, said a report in the Gulf News.

Flooding caused by rising sea levels threatens major cities in the region, according to academics and local green campaigners. Residents have been asked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by driving less and using public transport amid warnings that society will be drastically affected if too little is done.

Concerns have been raised by an eight-nation report that revealed the effects of global warming were almost twice as severe as originally thought. Dr Declan Conway, lecturer in the school of development studies at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, one of the world's top centres for climatic research, said that average temperatures in the Gulf region could rise by nearly 5 degrees Celsius by 2100.

"The scientific evidence for global warming is mounting. There is a rather strong case to say it is happening," he said. "In the Middle East, you can particularly expect greater maximum temperatures in the summer."

He warned that a hotter climate - as well as making it nearly unbearable to go outside in the height of summer - could cause roads to melt, make it harder to maintain reasonable temperatures inside offices and even affect buildings structurally.

Higher temperatures could also hinder farming and put off tourists from visiting the region, he said. Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels burned by cars, factories and power plants are the biggest causes of global warming, according to this week's report, which talked of temperature rises of seven degrees in the Arctic over the coming century, said the report.

Habiba Al Marashi, chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group, agreed that the UAE was vulnerable to rising temperatures. "We have seen very abnormal weather patterns in the past few years and we had extremely high temperatures here last summer, and those could continue," she said.

"It will become more difficult and more dangerous to be outdoors during the hot months - people will be exposed to dehydration and strokes because of the higher temperatures."

Rising temperatures are likely to cause expansion of the seas and melt ice caps, which will release more water into the sea. This will lead to higher sea levels worldwide. The sea levels are projected to rise 10cm by 2100 - and so increase the danger of flooding.

"Coastal activities are likely to be affected by rising sea levels. Ports could be more vulnerable."

Carbon dioxide emissions per person in the UAE are among the highest of any country in the world. "It's very easy for people to buy cars here. We would like to see a quota on the number of cars per family and we should encourage public transport, particularly between the emirates," she said.

"We must remove the taboo that stops a lot of people from stepping on to a bus. Politicians around the globe should put their heads together with the scientists and take concrete action, otherwise we are all doomed."


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## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

Strangely enough, from my experience the last two summers were cooler then the ones before, while the "winter" was warmer but with less rain.


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## Trances (May 19, 2003)

UAE Consumes more more natural resources per person than any nation on earth !

"WWF says the country with the largest overall footprint in 2001 was the United Arab Emirates, with about 10 hectares per person."


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## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

and that was back in 2001! i guess it will look worse presently
one thing i don't like about dubai: this envionment-protecting stuff moves on way too slowly


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## Trances (May 19, 2003)

yes i know old data !
but your right there as progess in workers rights, ( one exmaple of many )


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## city of the future (Jul 24, 2004)

I think those light rail projects are a really good idea
When they get built, more people will depend on public transport than having their own vehicle


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## Trances (May 19, 2003)

unlikey the culter of dubai is very car based and this rail may have the wrong appeal


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## juiced (Aug 18, 2004)

Same here, I don't think most people will use it, might have the same taboo as with buses so the road planners here will still need to expand the roads!


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## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

aha, this sounds reasonable


Cars to get compressed natural gas soon

Residents in the UAE will soon be able to convert their cars to compressed natural gas. This follows an ambitious project undertaken by the Directorate of Natural Gas at Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority. Initially, hundreds of vehicles owned by Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA) will be converted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), a SEWA source told Gulf News. 

The project has been approved by Sharjah Executive Council and its main aim is to introduce efficient, cleaner energy. As part of the first phase of the project, the directorate will suggest using CNG as an alternative to petrol for government vehicles, buses and taxis. Gradually, other vehicles can then start using it. CNG filling stations will be set up in different parts of the city. SEWA is also planning to use natural gas in air-conditioning systems. 

"This will reduce the emirate's power consumption by 70 per cent. It will also be easier for the authority to provide a power connection for new buildings," an official said. Once the study is approved, he said, SEWA would implement the new system in industrial units and later in residential areas. 

Ali Abdullah Al No'man, director general of SEWA, recently told Sharjah Consultative Council the introduction of gas for air-conditioning units would not only help consumers cut down on their electricity bills, but also save electricity production costs for the department. SEWA's project to supply Sharjah with natural gas is considered the first of its kind in the country. Costing Dh500 million, it is nearly completed.


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## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

Palm, World 'pose no threat to ecology' 


A British conservationist, allaying fears of a section of environmentalists, said that the Palm Islands and The World projects in Dubai pose no danger to ecology.

The projects have no negative ecological impact on the UAE's ocean environment, Professor David Bellamy said, according to a report in the Gulf News.

Speaking at the Emirates Environment Group (EEG) conference on sustainable tourism in Dubai, he said it's amazing that the projects are being executed without affecting the fisheries. "When you have money and vision you can really do a lot for the environment and put it back in working condition," Prof Bellamy said.

Prof Bellamy, the Special Professor of Botany at the University of Nottingham and the founder director of the Conservation Foundation, attended the conference as the keynote speaker to talk about his vision of ecotourism.


He said there was real trouble ahead for resorts and coastal communities - as a third of coral reefs in the world were dead and another third are headed in the same direction, said the report.

"Some of the best conservation reserves are man-made," Prof Bellamy said. 

However, the report said another marine biologist said the islands were destroying sea life. "I've dived down there. Visibility is affected due to the dredging and sedimentation. There is an ecological imbalance. There are few fish because the natural habitat has been destroyed,'' the report quoted the unnamed biologist as saying.

"Artificial reefs and cement barges in the sea are not attracting that many fish. They are migrating to other places because there is nothing for them here. There is something disturbing the ecological chain," she said.


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## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

Is logical that during the constructions phase the water clarity and purity is effected. Let's hope that after the end of the constructions the residues will settle at the bottom and the water will regain the clarity.

Let's wait and see.


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