The Ajman 5th International Environment Conference, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman, came to a close on Wednesday.

The global summit, featuring a line-up of valuable scientific papers on a variety of environmental and development issues, saw the participation of some 205 researchers, experts and specialists from 49 countries, including 70 international lecturers.

The two-day conference, inaugurated by HH Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and Chairman of the Emirate’s Executive Council, was organised by the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department.

Valuable Scientific Papers

A big number of valuable scientific papers and specialised researches on the environment, sustainability, development and diverse energy were showcased in the conference held at the Sheikh Zayed Centre for Conferences and Exhibitions, Ajman University, on March 06-07.

In his paper on the ‘Energy Performance Resilience of UAE Buildings to Climate Change’, Kirk Shanks, British University, Dubai, revealed that cooling government and residential buildings consumes 80% of UAE electricity.

“This indicates the overall year-round high temperature,” he said. “Solar energy can be used as an alternative safe energy effective from 2020 to 2050, though.”

Studies confirm that cooling rates shall witness a significant development from 22.2% in 2020 to 40% by 2080, he stated. “This urges investment in solar energy returns to address the impact of climate change over the years to come.”

Limited penalties

In his paper, Chukwuemeka Chuks-Ezike, Robert Gordon University, UK, spotlighted the ‘Deficient Legislations Sanctioning Oil Spill and Gas Flaring in Nigeria; A Need for a Review of the Petroleum Industries Bill towards Better Environmental Regulation in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector.’

“The oil spill is sort of a ‘cemetery in various environmental fields, as was the case in Nigeria where so many environmental resources were destroyed due to an oil leakage.”

This ‘warning bell’ has, as per experts, changed the features of the topography and agricultural lands there, and negatively impacted fishing operations and the revenues of natural resources, he added.

“Legislators need to review the laws and legislations that regulate the petroleum industries, to curb pollution, and high costs of those industries; mainly environment destruction.”

Greenhouse Gas Emission

In his paper, Hameed Sulaiman, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, talked about the ‘Municipal Solid Waste Composition and Greenhouse Gas Emission Potential from a Landfill – A Case Study