The UAE, which is among the ten most polluted countries in the world, is working to improve its environmental status

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has developed a "practical long-term strategy" to improve air quality and improve the environmental situation. This was announced on Thursday by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

According to the agency, in states with a desert climate, the volume of fine particulate matter in the air is three times higher than normal. According to the World Air Quality Report for 2023, the country ranked 7th in the list of the most polluted countries and regions of the world in terms of the average annual concentration of PM2.5. The report, prepared by the Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, summarizes air quality data for PM2.5 from 7812 cities. A total of 124 out of 134 countries and regions exceeded the annual regulatory value of PM2.5 by 5 micrograms/m3.

Four states of the Persian Gulf region, including the UAE, are among the 13 most polluted countries in the world. Thus, Kuwait took 11th place, Bahrain - 12th, Qatar - 13th. The most polluted countries are Bangladesh, Pakistan and India with concentrations of PM2.5 79.9, 73.7 and 54.4 micrograms/m3, respectively. In the UAE, the concentration of PM2.5 was 43 micrograms/m3, which means that the indicators recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) exceeded by 7-10 times. According to the report, air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to human health, causing about one in nine deaths worldwide. Seven million people die every year in the world for this reason.

"The UAE," the ministry said in a statement, "has long recognized the importance of improving air quality to maintain a healthy and sustainable life for the population." In cooperation with the local, regional and global climate community, the Emirates is working to reduce air pollution levels. The country has a national air quality monitoring platform, and the monitoring results are available to the general public in real time.

A key indicator of the level of air pollution is the concentration of particulate matter.

The most dangerous particles — ultrafine PM10 and PM2.5 — are so small that they are inaccessible to the human eye. They consist of a complex mixture of substances: sulfates, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, soot, mineral dust and water.

PM10 particles are able to penetrate deep into the lungs and settle in them. Small PM2.5 penetrate through membranes and enter the circulatory system, causing serious harm to health and provoking, in particular, cancer and heart disease.