Businesses that violate environmental laws in the northern UAE emirate of Ras al-Khaimah are being given the option to plant trees instead of paying fines, under a government initiative designed to cut planet-warming emissions.
Building on a previous campaign to plant 1 million and one trees, the project aims to engage the business community in tackling environmental challenges and climate change, said Saif al-Ghais, the EPDA's general director.
"We're trying to help [companies] by extending our hand to give them the trees so they will not have to spend money buying them," he told Reuters.
"We're trying to add this as a contribution to the CO2 reduction of the country as a whole," he added.
Businesses can forgo paying one fine each under the scheme, which provides them with free trees, as long as they cover the cost of planting and nurturing them.
Ghais, a marine biologist, hopes the incentive will encourage companies to take greater care of the environment and expand Ras al-Khaimah's green spaces.
In the arid UAE, where scorching hot summers can sometimes reach 50 C and rainfall is scarce, the average annual temperature is projected to rise by up to 2.9 C in 2050 compared to the period from 1961-90.
Extreme weather fueled by climate change also poses a threat to the UAE's marine habitats as ocean temperatures rise, while storm surges may destroy infrastructure and weaken food security and public health.
Jordanian security members wearing face masks stand guard at a checkpoint during a curfew in Amman, Jordan, October 9. Jordan imposed a 48-hour curfew across the country as of Thursday midnight amid a surge in coronavirus cases. Photo: Xinhua
With a goal of planting 10,000 saplings in 2020, Ras al-Khaimah's Environment Protection and Development Authority (EPDA) expects 20 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) could be absorbed in the first year of the scheme.Building on a previous campaign to plant 1 million and one trees, the project aims to engage the business community in tackling environmental challenges and climate change, said Saif al-Ghais, the EPDA's general director.
"We're trying to help [companies] by extending our hand to give them the trees so they will not have to spend money buying them," he told Reuters.
"We're trying to add this as a contribution to the CO2 reduction of the country as a whole," he added.
Businesses can forgo paying one fine each under the scheme, which provides them with free trees, as long as they cover the cost of planting and nurturing them.
Ghais, a marine biologist, hopes the incentive will encourage companies to take greater care of the environment and expand Ras al-Khaimah's green spaces.
In the arid UAE, where scorching hot summers can sometimes reach 50 C and rainfall is scarce, the average annual temperature is projected to rise by up to 2.9 C in 2050 compared to the period from 1961-90.
Extreme weather fueled by climate change also poses a threat to the UAE's marine habitats as ocean temperatures rise, while storm surges may destroy infrastructure and weaken food security and public health.
