Air quality alert highlights importance of climate action in Gulf

An index forecasts that conditions in Abu Dhabi will hit 'unhealthy' levels this weekend

Air quality often falls below recommended World Health Organisation guidelines across the country. Victor Besa / The National

Hot weather is a daily reality in the UAE and the Gulf at large in the summer, but soaring temperatures are not the only potential hazard presented by the outdoor environment.

Air quality often falls below recommended World Health Organisation guidelines, risking both short and long-term health consequences, and effects are often particularly severe at this time of year.

The issue is highlighted by air quality indices, such as those from the air purifier company IQAir, which uses data from several organisations including the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi for much of this week, the index indicates that the air is “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, with an air quality index (AQI) of between 100 and 150. The AQI is forecast to increase on Monday to 155, categorised simply as “unhealthy”.

Conditions are then forecast to remain "unhealthy for sensitive groups" from Tuesday to Saturday.

In Dubai, things will be slightly better, with the AQI set to remain below 150 in the coming days and to dip under 100 early next week, which represents “moderate” pollution.

In Doha, Qatar, the AQI is set to remain above 150 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday while in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it is less severe, remaining under 100 early next week. There are multiple factors causing pollution in the region’s air, according to analysts.

“The main sources of air pollution in the GCC include vehicular emissions, industrial activities, electricity generation, trash burning and dust storms,” said Salman Zafar, who runs a Qatar-based environmental consultancy, EcoMena.

“Anthropogenic and natural sources of air pollution present equal environmental and public health concerns to the region.”

Growing challenge

Environmental organisations are keen to see improvements, with Julien Jreissati, a programme director for Greenpeace Mena, describing air pollution in the Mena region as “an escalating crisis” that is not being adequately addressed.

Whether caused by dust storms or emissions from transport and energy, air pollution was, he said, “deeply tied to our reliance on fossil fuels”.

“Dust storms are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, while our current models for transport and energy remain heavily dependent on polluting fuels like oil and gas,” he said.

A major factor in air quality is the presence of tiny particles or particulate matter, with much of the focus being on those up to 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5).

The 2023 World Air Quality Report, released earlier this year by IQAir, said that UAE’s average concentration of PM2.5s was 43.0µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre), more than eight times the World Health Organisation’s recommended maximum of 5µg/m3. Several other Gulf nations had lower figures, but not substantially so.

PM2.5s are regarded as particularly harmful, with the US Environmental Protection Agency reporting that they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.

Long-term health effects include an increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease, while research has shown that short-term exposure can lead to higher rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and respiratory infections.

According to the UAE Air Emissions Inventory Project, which analysed pollution sources caused by people, industry accounted for two-thirds of the country’s PM2.5s, while road transport accounted for about one-fifth. Desalination and power generation were responsible for about three per cent.

Because air quality is affected by dust in the air, which is in turn influenced by meteorological conditions, seasonal patterns are seen.

Seasonal fluctuations

Dr Bassam Mahboub, a pulmonary specialist and head of the Emirates Allergy and Respiratory Society, said that dust storms peaked in March and April when many people with asthma fell ill, and there was another spike during the summer.

“When there is increased humidity there is more concentration of dust and some asthmatic people tend to get worse during the high humidity times,” he said.

“We always, always ask them not to expose themselves to the outside environment and to wear a mask, but also to keep on taking their medication and if they’re not feeling better, to see their doctor.”

Dr Diana Francis, an assistant professor and head of the Environmental and Geophysical Sciences Lab at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, said that two crucial factors caused dust activity to increase in the summer.

“The soil is very dry, and the atmospheric circulation over the region induced by the African and the Indian monsoons favours high winds near the surface,” she said.

“Additionally, some locally developing clouds produce dust emissions just before the rain.”

In terms of industrial pollution, Dr Francis said that wind generally blew pollutants towards residential areas, although she said that this changed from one season to the next and even during the day, especially because of the circulation of air between land and sea.

While poor air quality in the UAE is partly the result of local pollution sources, what is happening beyond the nation’s borders also has an effect.

“An important part of pollutants found in the UAE’s atmosphere comes from the other countries around the Arabian Gulf due to shamal winds,” Dr Francis said.

Plans in place

In September 2022 the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment launched the UAE National Air Quality Agenda 2031, which aims to ensure that both the public and private sectors take action to cut air pollution.

While the UAE’s rapid development has had an effect in terms of emissions from industry and road transport, for example, one perhaps unexpected bonus is that it appears to have reduced dust levels.

“The UAE is seeing a decrease in dust levels,” Dr Francis said. “Land use land cover studies have shown that more areas have changed from bare soil to built areas or planted ones, which reduces the areas exposed to winds and hence dust emissions.

“Another factor is the increase in rainfall witnessed in recent decades, which reduces dustiness as well.”