Dubai - Over half of UAE residents consider their household to be eco-friendly and progress has been made by the government and the public to address key environmental issues to date, the study finds
Published: Wed 5 Oct 2016, 11:13 AM
Last updated: Thu 6 Oct 2016, 10:28 AM
The UAE residents are making positive steps to adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle, according to a new YouGov study into the green habits of UAE residents.
The study results are announced ahead of the Green Week, slated to be held this week. Green Week, organised by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), aims to raise awareness and promote a culture of environmental sustainability and conservation amongst various communities.
Environmental awareness
According to the study, currently 79 per cent of UAE residents consider themselves to be well-informed on topics surrounding the environment and eco-friendliness. The Internet (65 per cent), social media (57 per cent), news (47 per cent) and government campaigns (44 per cent) being the top sources of information for green issues.
It appears, however, for some environmental concerns, being informed doesn't necessarily equate to taking action.
Recycling and energy consumption in particular are areas highlighted by the study where residents indicate the government's attention is needed most to start changing their mindset.
Non-biodegradable
The study also says non-biodegradable plastic bags provided by supermarkets for instance, which have come under much scrutiny recently, are still the bag of choice when residents are grocery shopping (37 per cent), compared to 30 per cent who shop with reusable bags.
When considering what would encourage residents to switch to reusable bags in future, 65 per cent of those who don't currently shop with reusable bags claimed they would change their ways only if supermarkets started to charge for plastic bags - a rule only the government could enforce to all supermarkets.
Energy consumption
When it comes to energy consumption, the study shows that a significant 81 per cent of UAE residents do not currently power their households with solar energy. Nonetheless, 64 per cent claimed that if provided with monetary compensation or incentives from the government, they would consider installing solar panels to power their homes.
Carbon emission
The research also reveals residents are taking steps which are helping to address other environmental issues such as reducing the country's carbon foot print and water wastage.
Currently, the findings show that almost two thirds (61 per cent) of the UAE's population primarily travel by car, of which 73 per cent mostly drive their own car. However, almost a third (27 per cent) are using public transport as their primary mode of transport, with 13 per cent travelling by metro/tram and 14 per cent travelling by bus. 3 in 10 also carpool/ride-share in favour of the cost-effectiveness (41 per cent) and the convenience (35 per cent) it provides.
Water wastage
Incentivized equally by reducing their household costs and being more eco-friendly (both 69 per cent), encouragingly, UAE residents are also taking action to reduce their water consumption with nearly 9 in 10 (86 per cent) participating in activities to reduce their household water wastage.
Recycling waste management
The inclination to recycle is also very much present. Currently, according to the study, 72 per cent of households and 55 per cent of workplaces do not have a recycling system in place. Yet 9 in 10 residents claimed they do recycle at work when there is a system in place, highlighting the vast majority do make an effort to think about the environment before they throw material away when the systems are in place to do so.
Overall just over half of UAE residents (56 per cent) consider their household to be eco-friendly and progress has been made by the government and the public to address key environmental issues to date. However, the findings demonstrate clear signs from UAE residents that even greater interception from the government could encourage the remaining 44 per cent of the population to consider the environment more seriously in future.
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