Air pollution is dirty secret in UAE, says rights group

The United Arab Emirates’ Fossil Fuel Production Contributes to High Air Pollution Levels

The United Arab Emirates’ vast fossil fuel production is contributing to dangerously high air pollution levels, creating health risks for its people and migrant workers in addition to heating the planet, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

Air Pollution Levels Exceed Recommended Guidelines

HRW analysis of data from 30 government ground monitoring stations in September 2023 found that average levels of PM2.5 (very small toxic particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and easily enter the bloodstream) were almost three times the daily recommended levels under the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines.

1. An estimated 1,872 people a year die from outdoor air pollution in the UAE, where migrants account for 88% of the population and virtually all outdoor workers, who face the highest risks.
2. The sky has been hazy with pollution on most days since thousands of delegates descended on Dubai for Cop28, with daily air quality readings up to five times above the WHO’s air quality recommendations.

Continued Expansion of Oil and Gas Operations

The UAE, like many other countries including the US, Norway, and the UK, is expanding its oil and gas operations despite scientific consensus that fossil fuels must be phased out if the world is to avoid the most catastrophic climate impacts. State-run oil and gas fields have been flaring gas virtually daily despite having committed 20 years ago to a policy of zero routine flaring, the Guardian revealed last month.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• The UAE’s air pollution crisis highlights the urgent need to address SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, as the high pollution levels pose significant health risks to the population and migrant workers.
• Furthermore, SDG 13: Climate Action is crucial in addressing the impact of fossil fuel production on global warming and climate change.
• The UAE’s expansion of oil and gas operations contradicts SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, which emphasizes the need for sustainable energy sources.

“Fossil fuels pollute the air people breathe in the UAE,” said Richard Pearshouse, HRW’s environment director. “But the obliteration of civil society by UAE’s government means that no one can publicly express concerns, let alone criticize the government’s failure to prevent this harm.”

Lack of Transparency and Suppression of Activists

The UAE government attributes poor air quality to dust from sandstorms, but HRW’s report challenges this claim. Over the past decade, UAE authorities have targeted human rights activists, including environmentalists, using laws and the courts to silence critics. People in the UAE wanting to report on or speak out about the risks of fossil fuel expansion and its links to air pollution face the risk of unlawful surveillance, arrest, detention, and ill-treatment, according to the HRW report.

Call for Transparency and Accountability

HRW reviewed and analyzed government air pollution data from 2018 to 2023, satellite-derived data, and government reports, as well as interviewing migrants who work outdoors, exiled Emiratis, academics, and environmental groups. Migrant workers reported breathing air that burned their lungs, breathlessness, and itchy skin, but had little information about the risks and no one to ask for help. There have been virtually no Emirati climate or environmental activists at Cop28.

“Air pollution is a dirty secret in the UAE,” Pearshouse said. “If the government doesn’t allow civil society to scrutinize and speak freely about the connection between air pollution and its fossil fuel industry, people will keep experiencing health conditions that are entirely preventable.”

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