Green Bahrain Cover AW 28/2/12 20:07 Page 1 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Composite Green Bahrain End Sheets.indd 1 28/02/2012 18:13 HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa The Prime Minister The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain The Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander MIRACLE PUBLISHING GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT OF THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS, WITHOUT WHOM THIS BOOK WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE. IV Towards a Green Bahrain Contents Foreword by HH Shaikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Khalifa 2 Chapter Eight President, Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Biological Resources in The Kingdom of Bahrain 148 Environment & Wildlife Dr. Ebrahim Abdul Qader A word from HH Khalid Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa 5 Chapter Nine 158 Deputy Prime Minister Marine and Coastal Environment Mr. Abdulqader Khamis A word from HE Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa 7 Minister Finance Chapter Ten 178 Environmental Control, A word from HE Dr. Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza 9 Land Based Activities and Marine Pollution Control Minister of Energy Mr. Mirza Salman Khalaf Foreword from Khalid A. Juman Chapter Eleven 200 Publisher 11 Environmental Control - land and Air Pollution Control Dr. Afaf S. Ali Al-Sho’ala Introduction 12 Chapter Twelve 210 Chapter One 18 Waste Management in The Kingdom of Bahrain Demographic Profile of the Kingdom of Bahrain Rehan Ahmed Dr. Nabil Shams Chapter Thirteen 224 Chapter Two 32 Critical Issues of Land Degradation & Desertification Looking to the Future - Sustainable Development of Resources Dr. Asma Aba Hussain Suzan Mohamed Al-Ajjawi Chapter Fourteen 252 Chapter Three 52 Green Energy - The Path to Sustainable Prosperity Climate Change - Human Activities and Global Climate Prof. Dr. Waheeb Essa Alnaser Eng. Zahwa M. S. Al-Kuwari Chapter Fifteen 280 Chapter Four 72 Sustainable Buildings and Construction Projects Ambient Air Quality in The Kingdom of Bahrain Dr. Naser Al Naser Eng. Zakareya Omran Chapter Sixteen 318 Chapter Five 84 Environmental Strategy in The Kingdom of Bahrain Ozone Depletion - Human Activities and Global Climates Dr. Adel Khalifa Al Zayani Dr. Abdulelah Al-Wadae Sponsors 326 Chapter Six 102 Water Management in the Kingdom of Bahrain References and Authors Details 356 Prof. Waleed K. Al Zubari Chapter Seven 118 Bi-diversity - The situation at present in Bahrain Mr. Abdulqader Khamis 2 Green Bahrain Towards a Towards FOREWORD HH SHAIKH ABDULLA BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA President, Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment & Wildlife The 20th century brought great advances in technology and infrastructural development. Abundant and inexpensive energy created previously unimaginable progress in health, prosperity, and technology, leading to an explosion in population and spending. Development unfortunately came at a price. Climate change, freshwater depletion, forest diminution, species extinction, population growth and a host of economic and social problems were the inevitable outcome and now challenge us as never before. Environmental issues, once contained within small geographical areas, are now global issues that threaten us historically and geographically. The international community can no longer stand and view regional concerns as something to be taken care of locally and dealt with by communities in isolation. In the last decade the measure of news related to the environment and climate available to the public has increased manifold in the Middle East, as has the interest it generates. Issues are widely recognized and debated and the consequence has been greater awareness and greater urgency in action. The need for environmental and ecological policies, for proactive debate and discussion on sustainable development and environmental justice are very much on every policy maker’s mind as well as the general public’s as consequences too dire to imagine loom ahead of us. The management of environmental cooperation across geographical and political boundaries have become not only a pressing and immediate need, it is now recognized as the responsibility of governments, corporates and individuals. This widening recognition can be seen in initiatives that now have a regional and global perspective and are at every level of society. Wider recognition however does not always mean that environmental issues are central to policy-making. Other issues often take precedence, pushing the environment into a non-emergency status. This, along with the tendency by governments and organizations to address problems one by one in isolation, have delayed effective action, sometimes rendering it ineffective when finally implemented. Environmentalists on the other hand, think holistically. They perceive the environment as a network of relationships, interconnectivity and life supporting systems. When viewed thus, as elements of an interdependent, mutually supporting and universal ecosystem, establishing a reasonable quality of life for the people of a region springs into focus as an immense long-range policy challenge and need. In Bahrain, we have become profoundly conscious of our limited resources, our depleting natural land and water areas and biodiversity, of the threats to the purity of the air, of the rapidly growing global population and endemic conflict, aggravated by the negative effects of climate change. The way we have addressed the challenges of our environment reflects our long-term and long-range perspective. There is still much to be done, but we are committed to the planet and optimistic about the future. 4 Chapter 0ne Towards a Green Bahrain A WORD FROM HH SHAIKH KHALID BIN ABDULLA AL KHALIFA Deputy Prime Minister Beyond Nature Conservation In its rapid run towards a better future for the coming generations and a modern and comfortable life for its citizens, Bahrain keeps environment preservation amongst its highest priorities, applying henceforth our belief that a reasonable progress is based on a sense of balance between fast and development and environment preservation. 6 Chapter 0ne Towards a Green Bahrain A WORD FROM HE SHAIKH AHMED BIN MOHAMMED AL KHALIFA Minister of Finance Safeguards of the Future Endorsing environmentally friendly policies, measures and initiatives has always been a major priority of the Government of Bahrain. With a strong belief in the concept of modern environmental policy making, Bahrain has included environmental policy as a major component of its Vision 2030, and most recently through the government initiative launched on the 9th of January 2011, which aims to maintain optimal use of natural resources. The Ministry of Finance was charged with leading a task force of other ministries and public agencies to pursue the implementation of the initiative. Measures adopted in this respect include, but are not limited to progressive installation of thermal insulation in public projects and premises, along with enhanced application of the concepts of e-government, energy and water saving, waste reduction and recycling. The constant search and relentless effort for more growth and better quality of life does not have to lead to a threat or damage to the planet we share and the environment we cherish. In fact it is just the opposite. Healthy environment and sustainable development are safeguards of our well-being and that of the generations to come. To this end the Government of Bahrain welcomes the publication, “Towards A Green Bahrain.” 8 Chapter 0ne Towards a Green Bahrain A WORD FROM HE DR. ABDUL-HUSSAIN BIN ALI MIRZA Minister of Energy Protection of environment and wildlife has always received the attention of the political leadership of the Kingdom of Bahrain. This is clearly evidenced in the Kingdom’s 2030 Economic Vision and the related strategic plans and initiatives. In order to promote and protect a sustainable natural environment, initiatives are underway to encourage investment in clean/green energy generation technologies, reduce industrial effluent/waste, reduce emission of toxic gases and protect the natural habitats and biodiversity. This has resulted in alignment of all the Government and the private sector’s efforts to achieve this objective. The Energy sector and the whole world still remember the Chernobyl incident in the Ukrainian, Exxon Valdez incident at Prince William Sound on the south coast of Alaska and the Deep Water Horizon oil spill at the Gulf of Mexico. These incidents remind us that tighter policies and measures are required to avoid such catastrophes that resulted in loss of lives, serious damage to the marine and wildlife, devastation of the fishing industry, loss of jobs and billions of dollars in costs to the economy. Clearly, it is more cost effective to invest far more to prevent these incidents. Therefore, focusing on state-of-the-art technology alone to ensure swift reactive measures is not adequate but reinforcing preventive measures is far more important. Whilst the Kingdom of Bahrain has embarked on several offshore oil and gas exploration initiatives, the National Oil and Gas Authority is closely monitoring any potential risks to health, safety and the environment in liaison with the National Marine, Environment and Wildlife Protection Authority and the international oil companies involved to ensure adequate preventive measures are in place, all possible scenarios considered and risks mitigated. There is nothing more important than protecting the environment we live in! Towards a Green Bahrain A WORD FROM HE. DR. JUMA BIN AHMED AL KAABI Minister, Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning The Kingdom of Bahrain has been giving due importance to the subject of environment since past four decades and has embedded the aspect of conservation of resources in all of its developmental activities. The environmental challenges and threats faced by Bahrain are the same as faced by many small island developing countries including the shortages of resources, energy, food, water, and the issue of climate change. The Kingdom has responded to all major environmental challenges and has taken cognizance of the fact that its existence is much dependent on its vast marine resources.