Labworx

The UAE has announced it will soon introduce a new early warning system for sand and dust storms (SDS), with the intention of giving vulnerable residents advance notice that an incident is imminent. This will allow them to deviate their transit routes away from the affected area, stay indoors or otherwise take evasive action, thus mitigating the impact of the extreme climate events on human hea...

In November and December of last year, the UAE played host to COP28, the climate summit which draws world leaders, decisionmakers, industry experts and various other stakeholders together to try and address the challenges of global climate change. Many good things came out of the conference, such as the creation of a new fund to help vulnerable nations meet their needs and the inclusion of the ...

The UAE’s 44th Planting Week saw the government launch a week-long campaign to plant an additional 50,000 mangrove trees in the country. The initiative, entitled “Together, Let’s Plant the UAE”, ran from the 26th of February to 3rd of March and encompassed a wide range of different social groups from all emirates of the UAE.

Mangrove trees play a crucial role as a natural solution in mitigat...

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which is the state-affiliated oil and gas company of the UAE, has announced it will step up decarbonisation efforts over the next six years by ploughing more money into relevant research and development projects.

The company’s board, which includes several prominent politicians and decision-makers in the country, gave the greenlight to increase inv...

With its arid landscape, scorching heat and minimal rainfall, the UAE in particular and the Middle East in general is an inhospitable climate for most flora and fauna. Nonetheless, there are certain plants and animals which have specially adapted to not only withstand but even thrive in such conditions. The humble ghaf tree is one such specimen.

Named the National Tree of the UAE in 2008, th...

The humble houbara bustard bird is under threat. As one of the favoured meals of birds of prey such as falcons, the houbara has been hounded to near-extinction by rampant cross-border smuggling by falconers. It was once found across North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Central Asia, but its numbers have been dwindling for decades.

Conscious of this concerning state of affairs, the UAE gov...

The UAE made global headlines at the close of last year when it announced it would be building a closed loop ‘Gigafarm’ at Dubai’s FoodTech Valley. Working in collaboration with Scottish vertical farming specialists Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), the UAE will build a landmark farm capable of producing two billion plants per year from minimal resources.

What’s more, the farm will use car...

This year saw the inaugural International Day of Clean Energy take place on January 26th, as nations around the world took the opportunity to showcase their contributions towards a more sustainable future for us all. The initiative was announced in August of last year, after significant efforts by the UAE and others to bring the day into being.

To mark its occurrence, the Emirati government ...

This month the Emirati government has announced that it will be extending its Year of Sustainability into 2024. First launched last year, the initiative is intended to raise awareness about the importance of instilling respect towards the environment, minimising the harmful impact that all of us have upon it and implementing sustainable habits to safeguard the planet for future generations.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Environment Agency in the UAE, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has reiterated his government’s commitment towards achieving food security in the country. Speaking on National Environment Day (February 4th), Sheikh Hamdan called food security “a key issue of great importance”.

The UAE has long faced a myriad of difficulties in securing an adequ...