SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

INTRODUCTION

1. Sustainable development is the organizing principle for

meeting human development goals while at the same
time sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural
resources and ecosystem services upon which
the economy and society depend.
2. I -The end of poverty and hunger
II -Better standards of education and healthcare - particularly as it
pertains to water quality and better sanitation
III -To achieve gender equality
IV -Sustainable economic growth while promoting jobs and stronger
economies
V -All of the above and more while tackling the effects of climate
change, pollution and other environmental factors that can harm and
do harm people's health, livelihoods and lives.
VI -Sustainability to include health of the land, air and sea
3. It has three main pillars: economic, environmental, and social.
 TASK – 1

4. a.) I -Ground water

II -Desalinated water
b.) Water security can be defined as the ability to access sufficient
quantities of clean water to maintain adequate standards of food
and goods production, proper sanitation, and sustainable health
care. Water, in absolute terms, is not in short supply planet-
wide. But, according to the United Nations water organization, UN-
Water, the total usable freshwater supply for ecosystems and
humans is only about 200,000 km3 of water – less than one percent
(<1%) of all freshwater resources. And, water use has been growing
at more than twice the rate of the population increase in the last
century. Specifically, water withdrawals are predicted to increase
by 50 percent by 2025 in developing countries, and 18 per cent in
developed countries. By 2025, 800 million people will be living in
countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of
the world population could be under stress conditions.
c.) These factors combine to make Abu Dhabi’s new reservoir a vital
safety net for the provision of water, and an excellent regional model for
foresight and planning. Built at a cost of Dh1.6 billion after 15 years of
continuous work, the world’s largest reserve of high-quality desalinated
water was launched in January.
Located in Al Dhafra in Liwa, it stores 5.6 billion gallons of water, or
enough to provide 1 million people in the capital with 180 litres per person
for up to 90 days.

In February, news agency WAM detailed how five international companies

are testing new solutions as part of the Masdar Renewable Energy
Desalination Programme near Ghantoot. These projects include solar-
powered reverse osmosis, a technique where salt water is purified
through membranes.

A Masdar report confirms that these solutions are also up to 75 per cent
more energy efficient than thermal desalination technologies currently in
use and capable of delivering annual energy savings of $550 million
(about D2 billion).

March saw the launch of Badia Farms in Dubai, a vertical farm that uses
hydroponic technology and 90 per cent less water than open-field
farming. The farm also recycles the water it uses and helps combat the
carbon footprint of international food imports that typically travel
thousands of kilometres to reach local restaurants.

Speaking at the inauguration of the farm, Dr Thani Ahmad Al Zeyoudi,

Minister of Climate Change and Environment, commended it. “Badia Farms
is an exceptional example of how the UAE’s agricultural industry can
thrive while protecting our environment for future generations,” he
stated.
5. In addition to its damaging effect on the environment and its illegal
smuggling into developing countries, researchers have now linked e-
waste to adverse effects on human health, such as inflammation and
oxidative stress – precursors to cardiovascular disease, DNA damage and
possibly cancer. E-waste, or electronic waste, describes end-of-life
electrical goods such as computers, televisions, printers, and mobile
phones. Each year between 20–50 million tons of e-waste is generated
worldwide, 100,000 tons of which is exported from UK shores, according
to a recent BBC Panorama programme. A large proportion of worldwide
e-waste is exported to China.
Due to the crude recycling process, many pollutants, such as persistent
organic pollutants and heavy metals, are released from e-waste, which
can easily accumulate in the human body through the inhalation of
contaminated air.
After exposing the cultured lung cells to the organic-soluble and water-
soluble constituents of the samples, the researchers tested for the level
of Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a key mediator of inflammatory response, and
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), chemically reactive molecules that can
cause extensive damage in excess.
The samples were also tested for the expression of the p53 gene – a
tumour suppressor gene that produces a protein to help counteract cell
damage. If there is evidence of this gene being expressed it can be seen
as a marker that cell damage is taking place.
The results showed that the samples of pollutants caused significant
increases in both IL-8 and ROS levels – indicators of an inflammatory
 response and oxidative stress respectively. Significant increases were
also observed in the levels of the p53 protein with the risk of organic-
soluble pollutants being much higher than water-soluble pollutants.
6.

E-waste recycling centres in UAE

The following places around Dubai accept E-waste (unwanted electronic
items) for recycling

Image Credit: Gulf News A

Envirofone :
The UAE National E-waste and Mobile Phone Recycling Campaign – accepts
electronic items at:
 All Etisalat Business Centres- they have more than 40 centres around UAE
 Enoc Petrol Stations (Dubai)
 Adnoc Petrol Stations (Abu Dhabi & Northern Emirates)
 Spinneys Supermarkets, Emirates Post Offices
 NBAD branches
 LloydsTSB branches
 All Magrudy's Book Stores
 Lamcy Plaza Shopping Centre
 Gold & Diamond Park
TASK - 2
7. Expo 2020 is a Universal Exposition to be hosted by Dubai in the United
Arab Emirates, opening on October 20, 2020. The Bureau International
des Expositions (BIE) general assembly in Paris awarded Dubai as the
host on November 27, 2013..The main site of Expo Dubai 2020 will be a
438-hectare area (1083 acres) located between Dubai and Abu Dhabi
cities, near Dubai emirate's western border with Abu Dhabi emirate. The
master plan, designed by the American firm HOK, is organized around a
central plaza, entitled Al Wasl (meaning "the connection" in Arabic
language), enclosed by three large pavilions which will be built by Al-
Futtaim Carillion, each one dedicated to a sub-theme.[2] Dubai has also
been emphasizing on investments in various sectors such as economic
growth, real estate, environmental avenues and public affairs. In recent
times, Dubai has made major investments in Real Estate[3] as well as
introduced a world’s largest Solar Power Project which is all set to start
by Expo 2020.[4] Apart from pumping money, the nation is also keen on
giving equal prominence to public relationships. The initiative – Dubai
Happiness Agenda, has 16 programmes under four themes that sums up
82 projects to be set in the city with an aim to make the city the happiest
by 2020.[5] The Dubai Expo 2020 also would see a rise in the GDP as
predicted by the International Monetary Fund.

Crushed tyres, reused construction material and solar-panel trees that

will capture moisture from the air are among a range of green
alternatives across the Expo 2020 site, it has been announced.
Trucks on the large construction site in Dubai South currently transport
material on roads that have been paved with concrete from previous
projects.
Expo officials say not a grain of sand has been shifted out from the 4.38
square kilometre site with the sand used to prepare building sites.
An expansive car park for 30,000 vehicles will be built by grinding
thousands of recycled tyres into the asphalt mixture to prevent the
rubber reaching the landfill.
Sustainability has been the focus of Expo organisers from the planning
through to the construction phase where work of contractors is being
monitored by consultants.
“We hope to encourage a new way of thinking with the design and offer an
architectural experience that retains its relevance long past the Expo
opening,” said Ahmed Al Khatib, senior vice president of real estate and
delivery for Expo 2020 Dubai.
“We have used additives in the concrete mix in order to reduce the
consumption of water in the construction. Construction of a normal
asphalt surface for the 30,000 car parking spaces would have impacted
the environment. Dubai Municipality is helping us source tyres that will be
used as a binding component for the asphalt. We moved more than 5
million cubic metres of sand but always reused the sand that was first
excavated for levelling the site and then crushed for reuse.”
Bordering the Sustainability Pavilion, among three Expo 2020 themes that
include opportunity and mobility, architects will create columns called
energy or water trees made of solar panels and steel. Drawing inspiration
from photosynthesis, the structures will harness sunlight and moisture
from the humid air.
“Behind the solar panels there will be layers designed to condense the
humidity from the air to generate water that will be used for irrigation for
the park around the Sustainability Pavilion. We are building harvests from
the humidity from the air, we will also use ground water and are in
discussions with authorities to certify that water for drinking,” he said.
“The Sustainability Pavilion will be entirely self-sustaining generating
electricity, water and on days when it generates more power, it will feed
into the grid.”
There are plans to create more than 45,000 green spaces to cool the
area and canopies to protect visitors from the sun with the shades
retracting in the evening.
The corridors and streets will be shaded by the buildings with the design
allowing for a constant flow of air through winding paths, said Mr Al Khatib
who is responsible for the management of the site masterplan,
infrastructure services, transportation and sustainability,
Developers and government entities working on the site such as the Dubai
World Trade Centre, Emaar, Meraas and the National Media Council have
also been given guidelines to promote the use of recyclable material.
This is part of a broader green message that the Expo wants to spread
across the country to encourage residents to be conscious and care for
the environment.
The progress and milestones on the Expo site will be highlighted during
the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
“We have tried to push the bar with our designs and one of our legacies is
to roll out these sustainable practices across the UAE. We have guidelines
on materials that can be used on the Expo site,” Mr Al Khatib said.
“Our target is to minimise depletion of natural resources, promote reuse
of materials and encourage sourcing from close by.
“We have constant engagement and monitoring of contractors to make
sure our guidelines are met.”
Some 80 per cent of investment in infrastructure will be permanent with
plans for residential, offices, an exhibition centre so the area will continue
to thrive when the Expo ends in April 2021.
“Everything we are building in infrastructure and buildings will be
permanent except for the component like the security gates and maybe
the parking areas to host the event and the sections where the countries
will dismantle their pavilions,” Mr Al Khatib said.
Outside the construction area filled with cranes, interest is being ramped
up with plans to recruit 30,000 volunteers.
“We have started registration for the volunteer programme and are
targeting people from all walks of life from students to working individuals
and people of determination,” said Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, executive
director of the Expo 2020 Bureau.
“We want UAE nationals and expatriate to participate because it will be an
opportunity to learn something new, meet people from all around the
world and give something back.”
____________
How construction waste was used
Some 370,000 tonnes, more than 85 per cent of construction waste, was
diverted from the landfill in 2017.
This was equivalent to 950 Emirates A380 jumbo jets.
For the entire Expo site, 50 per cent of energy will come from renewable
sources.
A large portion of this will come from the Sheikh Mohammed Solar Park.
Smart building strategies will reduce power consumption by 20 per cent
or 150,000 mwh of energy that can power up to 20,000 UAE households a
year.
The Sustainability Pavilion will produce much of its energy, water
requirements.
The pavilion’s annual production of 4 gwh/year of electricity is sufficient
to power a Nissan Leaf electric car to reach half way to Mars _ a distance
of 23 million kilometres.
The pavilion will produce 22,000 litres of water per day at peak capacity
or enough to fill three Olympic-size pools every year.
The Expo site is located adjacent to the Al Maktoum International Airport
in Dubai South.
CONCLUSION
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. Sustainable development has continued to evolve as that
of protecting the world’s resources while its true agenda is to control the
world’s resources. Environmentally sustainable economic growth refers
to economic development that meets the needs of all without leaving
future generations with fewer natural resources than those we enjoy
today.
The essence of this form of development is a stable relationship between
human activities and the natural world, which does not diminish the
prospects for future generations to enjoy a quality of life at least as good
as our own.
The idea of environmentally sustainable economic growth is not new. Many
cultures over the course of human history have recognized the need for
harmony between the environment, society and economy. The
‘environmentally sustainable economic growth’ is synonym to the
prevalent concept of ‘Sustainable Development’. The goal of which is to
achieve balance/harmony between environment sustainability, economic
sustainability and socio-political sustainability.
This particular initiative focuses on the world of business; how
corporations can contribute to sustainability. The UN Global Compact
initiative calls for companies to align their strategies and operations
with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and
anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals. The
initiative provides a set of tools and resources, holds summits, and
appoints pioneers that all contribute to raising awareness to
businesses on sustainability as well as provide them with the
appropriate opportunities to drive their corporate strategies towards
advancing a set from the Global Goals. This project aims to educate,
advocate, and offer practical adaptation activities in climate affected
communities in the Accra-Ada area. That is through bringing different
stakeholders and forces together with the community to combine
resources, experiences, skills, and knowledge. Of the several activities:
positive dialogue confronting climate change issues, coping strategies,
live community performances, and workshop plans. All responses
documented to be subject to follow-ups and reports for the authorities
to partake action. This network headquartered in the Netherlands
consists of influential companies committed to generating innovative
business models that promote clean and healthy oceans through
financial support and sharing expertise with entrepreneurs and start-
ups. This is done through an online platform for scientists,
entrepreneurs, experts and anyone with an interest for the issue to
come together and share ideas that can later be implemented; the
ideas are ‘liked’, discussed, and connected. An event is then held to
share the outcomes and provide a networking opportunity to everyone
interested, and then start-ups who took part in the challenge are then
matched to corporate partners that would support the development of
their ideas.

The saying, one hand cannot clap alone, is very relevant when it comes
to talking about achieving the SDGs. It’s important that if we want to
reach every target by 2030 that we do not work alone. The initiatives
mentioned above are a few of so many that each take part in
administering partnerships, compiling specialized networks, and
raising collective awareness to ensure that everyone is involved so
that no one is left behind.