DUBAI,Feb 5 (WAM) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) celebrated the 21st National Environment Day, observed annually on February 4, under the theme “Sustainable Production and Environment,” for the second consecutive year to continue efforts to stimulate the move towards sustainable production and consumption patterns in the UAE.
In a statement marking the occasion, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, expressed his deepest gratitude to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his patronage of National Environment Day, and his continued support for environmental protection and sustainable development in the UAE.
“Celebrating National Environment Day in the Year of Zayed adds considerable value to the occasion. The UAE founding father and visionary leader had always considered the environment part and parcel of his philosophy and day to day practices. Sustaining the environment for generations to come was among the top priorities in his endeavours to build the country, paving the way for the country’s sustainable development,” Dr. Al-Zeyoudi said.
Dr. Al-Zeyoudi indicated that population growth and a surge in income levels due to the economic boom the UAE witnessed in the past four decades have given rise to non-sustainable production and consumption patterns. “These are among the main challenges we face in our efforts to conserve our resources and ecosystems today. Their negative impact is apparent in many areas, such as high ecological footprint per capita, high water, energy and food consumption rates, as well as high waste production and carbon emissions rate.
“As a government, we continue to work relentlessly towards reducing the negative effects of production and consumption patterns and transforming them to sustainable ones that contribute to realizing sustainable development in the country, in line with UAE Vision 2021.
“I urge you to consider our natural resources as a national heritage that we live with today and later pass on to future generations. We are confident that the collaboration of the government and the community will have a substantial influence on stimulating more sustainable production and consumption pattern,” Dr. Al-Zeyoudi concluded. (WAM) (END/2018)