Category: National governments, Emission inventories

United Arab Emirates Air Quality Inventory

Aether, in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), supported the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment (MOCCAE) to compile the first UAE air pollutant emission inventory.

The challenge

Improving air quality is a priority for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is part of the Country’s Green Agenda, one of the Key Performance Indicators in the national agenda and is also mentioned in the Vision 2021 plan. In response, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) launched the Air Emissions Monitoring Project to develop the first national level inventory for air pollutant emissions in the UAE. This project identified the key sources of air pollutants in the country so that appropriate strategies can be put in place to improve air quality.

The solution

Aether compiled air pollutant inventories for 2015 for each individual Emirate. These inventories were added together to provide data at the national level. The inventories were compiled according to the methodologies provided in the 2016 EMEP/EEA Guidebook and covered the following sectors: stationary energy combustion, transport, industrial processes and product use, agriculture and waste. Priority was given to the collection of local and national data sources, which has allowed for Emirate-specific emission calculations.

The inventory was compiled using Aether’s inventory templates. These include tailored data summaries and have been adapted for country-specific reporting needs. They also include in-built QA/QC checks which ensure time-series consistency and help to prevent errors. In addition, the customised inventory calculations were delivered to MOCCAE at the end of the project. The inventory can be improved overtime by national experts without any additional input from external experts.

Producing the AQ inventory estimates was a useful step in understanding air quality issues in the UAE. However, the most important aspect of this project was the training and engagement of national experts and stakeholders. During this project, two training workshops were provided to support the development of national expertise and to communicate the key messages surrounding air quality to stakeholders from all Emirates.

The result

This project has produced the first ever air pollutant inventory developed for all seven Emirates. Emission estimates have been compiled for the year 2015, for six pollutants. The results of the inventory have allowed the main pollution sources to be identified, so that appropriate action can be taken to improve air quality across the UAE.

The development of national expertise and the final recommendations for inventory improvement provide the basis for the UAE to improve the completeness and accuracy of the emission estimates for the next inventory cycle.

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Melanie Hobson

Director

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Testimonial

Don't just take our word for it...

“The professional service provided by your company was of very high quality and completed within agreed timelines.”

Matthew Dudley, UNFCCC Secretariat

“Aether's approach to couple innovative visualisation with high expertise manpower delivered valuable insights for our inventory work.”

Umweltbundesamt (Germany)

“If we have a need for any more reports in the future Aether will be first on my list.”

Alan Hardy, Kyson Design

“Aether was a great asset in involving/engaging with Member States experts on highly technical subjects regarding GHG reporting. Very clear communication of issues and results.”

Andreas Pilzecker, DG CLIMA

“The support provided by Aether for this project was especially remarkable considering the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tools and methods used in order to engage local stakeholders really added value to the capacity building of the national team.”

Shanna Emmanuel, Saint Lucia BUR Project Coordinator

“It has been a pleasure to work with Chris Dore and Richard Claxton from Aether: they did their job in a very professional and timely manner. The workshop was organized and carried out in a cooperative spirit; the information provided to the workshop participants was complete and clear.”

Alina Novikova, UN/ECE Secretariat

“A heartfelt thank you to all the Aether team for this very comprehensive review – this is certainly turning out to be one of the most beneficial capacity building projects I have ever been involved in.”

Saviour Vassallo, Senior Environment Protection Officer, Malta Resources Authority

“Engaging Aether to support us to develop the first GHG Inventory System and first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the United Republic of Tanzania has been a rewarding experience due to their high level of professionalism, creativity, timeliness and value for money. We will definitely consider Aether in our future initiatives.”

Abbas Kitogo, Programme Specialist Energy and Climate Change, UNDP Tanzania

“Professional team and very collaborative communication. Effective result in terms of suggestions for improvement in the quality of the inventory and proposals on how to streamline specific topics.”

Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research

“I must congratulate each of you for your professional and tireless efforts. Let me point out that this has been the 'neatest' in-country review expert review team I have coordinated, and it has been a real pleasure.”

UNFCCC Secretariat

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