There is no use denying the fact that the modern world faces a nagging problem connected with the environment and high tempos of the worsening of its state. Ecologists are worried by the current state of affairs, underlining the fact that industrial development of society leads to a significant increase in the threat to the environment. With this in mind, the primary objective of the given study is the deep analysis of the main environmental risks that the UAE faces and the creation of the appropriate risk assessment method in order to understand the nature of the threat. The main hypothesis of the paper is the idea that the oil extraction industry could be taken as the main source of environmental problems peculiar to the UAE. Under these conditions, the appearance of a great number of various environmental problems, connected with the blistering development of the UAE, seems quite logical. These problems are
- Urbanization.
- Ballast water.
- Water supply.
- E-waste.
- Influence of the oil extraction industry.
The first obvious problem is the urbanization that could also be taken as the primordial problem that triggered the appearance of the rest of the problems. It should be said that several decades ago, these lands were not so populated because there were no perspectives for their development. Thus, the increase in the demand for oil led to the blistering extension of the region and worsening of the environment. The great level of urbanization of this territory nowadays is taken as one of the most important problems of the UAE. The problem is that the growth of cities leads to the appearance of a great number of various issues such as overpopulation, contamination of the atmosphere, water and soil, waste, the state of the health of the nation, and a great number of others. That is why urbanization could be taken as one of the important problems of the UAE.
Another environmental issue, which has a chronic character, is the question of ballast water. Being one of the greatest producers of crude oil, the UAE also has the tendency towards the increase of the number of problems connected with the ballast water, which is used in the industry and then pollutes the environment. The state stimulates the development of the oil extraction industry, the problem should be solved in order to stop the deterioration of the state of the environment.
The region where the UAE is situated traditionally has the problem of water supply. The problem is that the desert character of the lands and a few numbers of sources of freshwater influenced the way in which people settled and obtained the needed amount of water. Thus, nowadays, due to urbanization and desertification, this traditional pattern is destroyed. The population had doubled since 1960 when the development of the region started (Alderman 2010). However, traditional sources were not able to supply people with the needed amount of freshwater and, that is why some new sources were found. Nowadays, distillation is used to provide water for all people. However, the issue is still topical as the quality of distilled water remains doubtful, and sewage waters used for irrigation should also be checked for their environmentally friendly character.
Moreover, nowadays, the UAE has a tendency towards the blistering development of the sphere of digital technologies. Additionally, being one of the richest states in the world, the UAE also has the increasing demand for various gadgets, that could be used by prosperous people. However, combination of these factors leads to the appearance of another problem, which is e-waste. The fact is that the majority of citizens of the UAE uses various electronic devices. In the process of usage a great number of these devices are thrown. Besides, e-waste poses a threat to the environment as it can pollute groundwater and the food. That is why, the problem should be analyzed in order to find a good solution and protect citizens of the UAE.
Finally, another important problem is connected with the development of the oil producing industry that serves as the main source of incomes for the UAE. Being one of the most environment damaging sphere of industry, oil extraction causes a great harm to nature and health of people. First of all, it pollutes soil and water, which are of a great importance for the desolated state. Moreover, oil spills cause a disastrous harm to the coastline and lead to the appearance of marine pollution. With this in mind, it is possible to say that the given sector is rather ambivalent for the UAE as it promotes its development and, at the same time, introduces a great number of problems. However, it is obvious that it will continue its development that is why, deeper investigation of the issue is needed.
With this in mind, it is possible to say that the aim of the given paper is to analyze the influence of oil extraction industry on the state of environment in the UAE and health of people and to prove the hypothesis that this sector can be taken as the most dangerous and that leads to the appearance of all above mentioned problems.
As it has already been stated, the given work revolves around the environmental issues peculiar to the UAE and their influence on the health of people. With this in mind, having outlined several important environmental problems, the paper will focus on the most important one. In order to make the deep analysis of the issue, review of the credible literature is made and the thoughts and ideas connected with the situation, suggested by various authors are analyzed. Moreover, it is obvious that the given issue should be investigated using the most efficient methodology like literature review, case study analysis and investigation of the state of environment. These methods could help to perform the analysis of the chosen issue and suggest the most efficient and modern solution to the existing problem. Resting on these facts, it is possible to state that the main goal of the paper is the deep and justified analysis of the environmental problems peculiar to the UAE.
Besides, it should also be said that being a very important and topical question nowadays, the issue of the environment is investigated by a great number of various researchers who tend to prove the idea that some immediate actions are needed in order to improve the current situation. The current situation in the UAE and its environmental problems are not an exclusion and scientists try to find the root of the problems and investigate the issue. Yet, a great number or researchers agree with the statement that the oil extraction industry is one of the main factors that leads to the appearance of various environmental problems. Harris in his research about the state of the Gulf region underlines the fact that being the main source of incomes, this branch of industry still threats the whole region and can lead to the further deterioration of lands and worsening of the environmental situation.
Moreover, underlining the desire of the countries of the Gulf to join the world elite, Harris predicts further intensive development of this sector which could mean the blistering worsening of the environmental situation. Tar-Ching Aw (2010) in the research connected with the peculiarities of global public health and the UAE also proves this idea, stating the fact that according to the statistics the health of people became significantly worse in last several decades which had passed since the blistering development of oil extraction industry. Thus, development of industry has the ambivalent character. It is obvious that it leads to the improvement of living conditions of people who are able to earn money working there. thus, at the same time, the state of environment becomes worse which has a great negative impact on the state of public health. In the work Aw (2010) underlines the shift of the character of illnesses from traditional to chronic ones.
This fact is taken by the researcher as the aftermath of the deterioration of the environmental situation and pollution of soil, water and air. The idea that all these elements are polluted because of the development of industry is not new. Grizzle, Ward, As Shihi and Burt in their research of coral reefs also come to the conclusion that the current state of water is not ideal and there is the tendency towards the worsening of the situation. Taking into account the problem connected with the water supply peculiar to the UAE, it is possible to say that it could be as taken a disturbing fact. Grizzle et al. (2015) say that the state of coral reefs could be taken as the indicator of the state of environment in general and the state of water particularly. Moreover, they tend to warn people that continuation of the policy of blistering urbanization and development of tourist infrastructure could lead to some catastrophic results that could change the functioning of the ecosystem. Researchers come to the conclusion that some measures to stop contamination are vital under modern conditions.
It should also be said that things are complicated by the UAE desire to develop the nuclear energy. Kaabi (2011) in his paper underlines the fact that being a very beneficial sector of industry which could provide more independence for the UAE, it, at the same time, could also make the state of environment, which is affected by the oil extraction industry, much worse. The author outlines the fact that the wastes of this industry are not recycled probably and contaminate soils, water and air (Kaabi 2011). However, the nuclear power station could have much more devastating influence on the state of environment. With this in mind, it becomes obvious that the environmental problems connected with the oil extraction industry do not just influence the state of environment, though, they make the further development of the country more complicated.
Kaabi (2011) comes to the conclusion that combination of these two industries could change the image of the land greatly and lead to some ecological catastrophe. Tourenq and Launay (2008) in their paper comes to similar conclusions. They tend to analyze the main threats and challenges that biodiversity of the UAE faces nowadays. In their research authors come to the conclusion that the state of biosphere has changed greatly since the start of blistering urbanization and development of the region (Tourenq & Launay 2008). Underlining the problems of desertification, pollution and population, they also state the fact that all these issues change the environment of the state and make it worse. Tourenq and Launay (2008) also consider the oil extraction industry to be the main cause of the appearance of all these problems as it served as the stimulus. Nowadays, the situation is not disastrous though there is the tendency for its worsening. That is why, the authors predict that in case of further urbanization of the region and development of the industry, problems could become much more complicated (Tourenq & Launay 2008). However, it should be said that the negative impact of the oil extraction industry on the state of health of people is the thing which introduces a great number of various disputes.
Gibson and Farah (2012) in their research connected with the investigation of the main risks to the healthcare sector that result from the high tempos of worsening of the state of environment, come to the conclusion that even great sums of money invested in this sphere by the government are not able to stop the process of deterioration of the state of soil, water and air. That is why, the idea that not aftermath but the initial causes of the appearance of the problem should be given great attention is suggested. The authors underline the fact that “environmental risks to health in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have shifted rapidly from infectious to noninfectious diseases as the nation has developed at an unprecedented rate” (Gibson & Farah 2012, para. 1). They tend to prove the idea that further exploitation of oil deposits will obviously lead to the development of financial sector, though, at the same time striking the sphere of healthcare.
The necessity of the improvement of the situation in the sphere of industry is also shown by Barakat, Shanableh and Malkawi (2008) in their research that aims at investigating the main environmental risks which threats the UAE. The authors state the fact that development of the oil extraction industry has introduced a new danger that has traditionally been insignificant for the given region. Revolving around the possibility of earthquakes, the authors tend to show the tendency towards the strengthening of tectonic activity and the increase of a real threat of the earthquake. The main factors which influence the growth of this rate are the peculiarities of construction of some buildings, increase of the density of population and some the activity of various industries, including the oil extraction one (Barakat, Shanableh & Malkawi, 2008). Under this conditions, one of the main aims of researchers of the state is to create the rational and efficient approach to assess the natural hazards peculiar to the UAE. However, the paper by Alsenaani could be taken as a good attempt to create this very approach. The author tends to analyze the latest tendencies peculiar to the environment of the UAE and state the degree of risk. Alsenaanis paper centers around all possible hazards which could happen in the UAE and, moreover, the author introduces the efficient approach to determine the risk factors and make a certain conclusion.
Taking into account the threatening state of environment in the UAE, the author also underlines the fact that the risk assessment approach could help to the situation better and introduce some changes towards the way in which the state develops nowadays. Alsenaani (2013) manages to determine that some natural hazards are insignificant for the UAE while such threats as climate change or seismic activity could be taken as rather topical. Additionally, Willis et al. (2010) also tend to analyze the environmental risks peculiar to the UAE. Cogitating about the state of healthcare in the UAE, the authors present “the results of a comparative environmental risk-ranking exercise that was conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to inform a strategic planning process led by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD” (Willis et al. 2010, p. 1842).
These results show that among 14 environmental risks outlined by the researchers, “ambient and indoor air pollution; drinking water contamination; coastal water pollution; soil and groundwater contamination; exposure to hazardous substances in industrial, construction, and agricultural work environments” (Willis et al. 2010, p. 1842) could be taken as the most dangerous ones. The study, conducted by the authors, helps to realize the fact that the UAE suffers from a great number of various factors that have a pernicious influence on the health or environment. Willis et al. come to the conclusion that agencies like Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi should create a strategic plan that could help to make the influence of this factors less powerful and negative. That is why, it is possible to conclude that investigations connected with the main environmental issues peculiar to the UAE, tend to admit the fact that the state nowadays faces various challenges that mainly result from the blistering development of oil extraction industry which, in its turn, leads to the urbanization of the region.
With this in mind, it should be said that the following risk assessment methods could be recommended. They are:
- Identification of the hazard.
- Characterization of the hazard.
- Exposure assessment.
- Risk characterization.
- Comparison with the previous showings.
- Analysis of the obtained data.
- Main steps to prevent the accidents.
The given scheme provides the detailed step by step instruction how the analysis should be performed and what stages should be accomplished first.
Additionally, the main measures of the given risk assessment method are the showings connected with the state of environment of the UAE and oscillations of these numbers that could help to obtain the information about the most important changes.
Additionally, it is possible to analyze the case study connected with the problem of the development of oil extraction industry and its influence on the environment of the UAE in order to understand the problem better. Mohamed Al Mazrouei (2014) in his paper UAE—A Case Study in Managing the Energy Trilemma underlines the fact that it is vital to achieve the balance between secure, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy in the shortest terms. Tending to prove his assumptions, the author outlines statistics which shows that in several recent years the state of environment of the state has become significantly worse mainly due to the functioning of oil extraction and energy industries (Al Mazrouei 2014).
With this in mind, it is extremely vital to be able to reduce the negative impact of these factors on the environment for the country to be able to evolve. Thus, resting on the facts obtained from the given case study, it becomes obvious that there are no other sources of incomes similar to oil extraction for the UAE. That is why, the decision should be found not in the decelerating of the development of this sector, but some new and environmentally friendly ways to perform various actions in this sphere should be suggested. However, nowadays, there is still no efficient solution for this problem and further deterioration of the state of environment could be predicted.
Besides, it is possible to say that nowadays the UAE has one of the highest showings of urbanization in the world. This fact could not but influence the state of environment introducing new environmental threats to the state. Researchers, who work in the given sphere, also adhere to the idea the urbanization has the negative impact on the environment. Additionally, development of the oil extraction industry is taken as the primordial case. Under these conditions, creation of efficient risk assessment tool that will be able to monitor the state of this industry and the level of contamination could be taken as one of the possible solutions. The fact that the dangerous sphere are investigated and the most important steps are outlined could be taken as the great advantage of the suggested solution, as it could help to minimize the risks and reduce the negative effect of the functioning of the oil extraction industry. Moreover, a certain strategic plan that describes the main steps which should be accomplished to decrease the negative impact of this factor on the environment and be ready to face appearing challenges.
In conclusion, it should be said that having the beneficial impact on the state of the economy of the UAE, its blistering development at the same time promotes deterioration of the environmental situation in the country. Besides, oil extraction industry could be taken as one of the most important factors that triggers the appearance of other environmental problems. That is why, it is necessary to create the efficient risk assessment tool to monitor the situation in the state and respond to challenges which appear due to the high level of urbanization and development of industry.
It should also be said that the broader public should be informed about the main risk that the UAE faces nowadays for people to be ready to respond to it. Various means of media could be used to do it. Moreover, the given paper could be placed in the Internet for people to obtain the main idea connected with the peculiar risks.
Reference List
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Alderman, L 2010, ‘Dubai Faces Environmental Problems After Growth’, The New York Times. Web.
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Barakat, S, Shanableh, A & Malkawi, H 2008, ‘ A Comparative Earthquakes Risk Assessment Approach Applied to the United Arab Emirates’, Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 139-151 Web.
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