SMART POLICY- The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment launched a program to improve air quality though 2031 at a gathering in Dubai yesterday. The agenda aims to set national standards that will curb air pollution — and will set up a compliance monitoring scheme to track the carbon emissions and pollutants in the UAE, according to statements from the ministry and remarks by the UAE Climate Change and Environment Minister Mariam Al Mheiri at the forum picked up by Zawya.

What can you expect? The agenda, which was approved by the UAE Cabinet in June 2022, will be based on the following pillars:

• Increasing the reliance on clean energy sources;
• Launching new projects to reduce air pollution in a number of sectors, including the transport, energy, and construction sectors;
• Improving indoor air quality by promoting the use of sustainable construction materials;
• Initiatives to improve waste management, and wastewater treatment facilities;
• Reducing noise and odor pollution is also on the UAE’s agenda: The UAE will be chart a course to minimize pollutants from the construction, transport, and waste management sectors.