MUSCAT, JAN 8
The Environment Authority reviewed its annual performance in conjunction with the celebration of Oman Environment Day, which falls on January 8 of each year. Prominent among the achievements last year was Oman included 54th rank in the Global Environmental Performance Index.
Dr Abdullah bin Ali al Amri, Chairman of the Environment Authority, said: “The year 2024 saw the launch of many projects and initiatives which resulted in many achievements at the global, regional and local levels. It also saw Oman's presidency of the United Nations Environment Assembly and agreements signed by the Sultanate of Oman and the organisations it joined, all of which contribute to implementing the Oman vision 2040."
Al Amri said EA witnessed 151 projects and initiatives to protect biodiversity, manage pollution, legislations or environmental monitoring and control.
The Authority works to meet all international requirements and highlight efforts through visual, audio and print media, and to promote scientific publishing and documentation through books that highlight the efforts of Oman in protecting and preserving the environment over decades.
The EA launched the National Green Building Rating System (Roznah) to promote energy consumption, preserve natural resources, improve the quality of life and reduce carbon emissions.
Dr Rabie al Rahbi, EA's Director of the Environmental Planning Department, said: “We launched the national system for evaluating and designing green buildings, which is a system that provides standards for the construction and building sector in the Sultanate of Oman to reduce the pollutants emitted by these buildings. There will be an evaluation and issuance of certificates that will meet the standards. In addition, for the first time in Oman, we launched the Environmental Atlas project that enhance the environmental decision-making aspect.”
This progress in the environmental management came through a partnership with the government, private sectors and communities to contribute to the implementation of many environmental projects and initiatives, most notably the national campaign to combat invasive birds, the initiative to plant 10 million trees, the blue carbon project to plant 100 million mangroves and the Naqi platform for air quality.
EA is planning launch 'Oman Climate Week' during February 24-27 for the first time with the aim of uniting with the world to work for a zero-carbon future.
Oman has witnessed continuous efforts to protect the environment from pollution through ten projects and initiatives that include studying the types and quantities of fuel used for combustion in the Rusayl Industrial Area; establishing air quality monitoring stations to cover 90 per cent of the governorates; environmental quality monitoring projects and preparing reports on them; and a project to update the National Plan for Organic Pollutants
Work is underway in three industrial cities as a first phase to plant 1,200 wild trees in green belts and include environmental standards in the plans for designing and establishing industrial cities.
As for nature conservation and biodiversity, about 18 qualitative projects were presented, including the announcement of four new nature reserves, a project to register nature reserves in global initiatives such as the Green List and Unesco, a project to establish an underwater museum in the Daymaniyat Islands Nature Reserve, the Oman Blue Carbon Project and the Wildlife Gene Bank Project.
Oman now has 30 nature reserves and a law was issued to regulate trade in wildlife, which would limit violations and illegal wildlife trade.
The review discussed Oman's participation in the COP29 Climate Summit in Azerbaijan to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and enhance climate action and sustainable development plans.
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