The Source Magzine UAE Issue 211

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VEOLIA MIDDLE EAST ANNOUNCES TOP TIPS AND ART CONTEST TO HELP PRESERVE CLIMATE AND NATURE The first week of June brings the opportunity for people around the world to reflect on the importance of preserving the environment and oceans. With World Environment Day taking place on 5th June and World Oceans Day taking place on 8th June, there is no better time to show support for the beauty of the environment, the freshness of the oceans and the significance of the world’s nature.

A beach cleanup is a great step toward helping marine life. It is a volunteer activity for individuals and takes place regularly along coastlines around the world. There are several organisations across the region that run programmes in the cooler months, to help make beaches a cleaner and safer place for everyone. Taking part in beach clean ups helps to improve the coastal and ocean ecosystem by making sure that none of the waste kills marine life or is toxic enough to disrupt the marine cycle.

According to EarthDay, it is estimated that 40% of the world’s waste ends up in uncontrolled dump sites, causing excessive waste to overflow directly into oceans. This growing problem of mismanaged waste means that by 2025, dumpsites and landfills will contribute to 8-10% of global greenhouse emissions and by 2050, marine plastic will outweigh the number of fish in the sea. As awareness increases globally, the Middle East is taking important and impactful steps to help improve sustainable development across the region, such as increasing green areas, developing water resources, and improving marine environment and protecting it from pollution. Marine wildlife in the Middle East is particularly lush: green turtles, humpback dolphins, sea snakes and dugongs are all found in the Gulf waters, we have to protect them and their ecosystem.

Cut down on plastic

The mass production of plastic started decades ago and in recent years, it has accelerated so rapidly that it has created 8.3 billion metric tons and 91% of that is not recycled most of it ends up in landfills and oceans. This is a huge problem for the planet as plastic can take up to 1000 years to degrade, therefore, a lot of the world’s plastic still exists in some

Sébastien Chauvin, CEO of Veolia Middle East shares five steps, to help preserve the planet for World Environment Day and World Oceans Day.

Take part in a beach clean up The Source

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