In the first week of August 2018, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) held three half-day workshops in the emirate of Fujairah (location: Le Meridien Hotel), Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) (location: Hilton Hotel) and Ajman and Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) (location: Ajman Hotel), on the 1st, 2nd and 6th day of the month, respectively.
The objective of the training workshop was capacity building on data collection for the National Air Emissions Monitoring Project. Participants were drawn from industrial facilities around the emirates. The municipality of Fujairah, Environmental Protection and Development Authority (EPDA) of RAK, the municipality of Ajman and UAQ assisted in the workshop’s preparation by communicating with and inviting relevant companies and soliciting example material.
A Glimpse from the Training Workshops
The expected outcome of this training was improved knowledge and capacity around air pollutants inventories and how to fill in the data sheets required for the project.
The National Air Emissions Monitoring Project requires data from all relevant sectors in the UAE. These data are necessary for estimating air pollutant emissions and setting air quality policy. Most industrial facilities already submit some form of data to their relevant authorities and the intent of the workshop was to explain the differences between existing data collection methodologies and purposes and the current requirements under the Project, answer any specific technical questions, and clarify expectations of all stakeholders in the Project. Currently, data submission for this type of activity is not mandatory and a clear explanation of the benefits of participating was also provided.
Examples of participants included: oil storage facilities, cement factories, and quarries. This improved capacity is a necessary element in both the short-term, as data needs to be of sufficient quality to compile the first inventory, and the long-term, where future iterations of the inventory should be more accurate and complete for all sectors.
Help Desk Consultation
The workshop was divided into two sessions. The first session focused on the project background, how the inventory methodology was developed and how to fill in data sheets. The second session allowed participants to ask questions directly to the project team via ‘help desks’ set up in the event venue. These help desks were arranged by industry and also featured the Municipality representative and EPDA representatives, who had agreed to assist in the question and answer session.
The next step in the process is to receive, quality check and compile the data provided by the facilities, who will submit the data collection sheets highlighted in the workshop.