Air pollution levels falling across the Middle East, Abu Dhabi study finds

Tougher emissions standards for vehicles credited but still much room for improvement

Dubai pictured during a sandstorm. Poor air quality is linked to weather events, heavy industry and the number of vehicles on the roads. EPA

Scientists in Abu Dhabi say stricter air quality controls, transitioning to renewable energy and monitoring vehicle emissions are behind a reduction in the levels of air pollution in parts of the Middle East.

A study from Khalifa University (KU) in Abu Dhabi, using Nasa satellites, looking between 2003 and 2023, showed significant reductions after pollution levels increased during the first decade of the reporting period.

The research looked at the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), both generated by burning fossil fuels.

One of the study’s authors, Dr Diana Francis, assistant professor at KU and head of the university’s environmental and geophysical sciences lab, said that in the UAE “tighter air quality regulations and vehicle emission standards” from the mid-2010s have improved air quality. Other measures have also helped to lower pollution levels.

“Additionally, there has been increased investment in renewables and natural gas, reduced reliance on heavy fuel oil, lowering SO2 emissions, particularly in Iran, and the cleaner energy transitions still ongoing,” she said.

Cost of progress

The researchers reported a measurement area that included Qatar, Bahrain, and Dammam in Saudi Arabia recoded pollution levels increasing up to 2018, before they declined by 1.7 per cent per year. Dr Francis said until the mid-2010s, rapid development and increased vehicle use had raised NO2 levels, particularly in growing cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“To accompany the economic development, emissions from industry also increased, such as power plants, oil refineries and manufacturing in the region, which may have contributed heavily to both NO2 and SO2 emissions,” Dr Francis added.

Dr Diana Francis, assistant professor at Khalifa University, was one of the lead authors on a report looking at air pollution levels in the region. Antonie Robertson / The National

“Additionally, before [the mid to late 2010s], emissions controls and monitoring systems were less strict or inconsistently enforced due to limited environmental regulations at the time.”

However, from around the mid to late 2010s, the satellite data indicates significant declines in SO2 or NO2 in some places, including western Saudi Arabia, parts of Iran, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which underscored “the importance of stringent air pollution controls”.

In another measurement area that included Dubai, Abu Dhabi and parts of the Gulf of Oman, there was an average 3.9 per cent annual reduction in NO2 levels after 2015. SO2 levels here, though, continued to increase, albeit only by a modest 0.31 per cent annually.

The study used data from Nasa’s Aura satellite to analyse levels of NO2 and SO2, allowing, the researchers said, for a more comprehensive analysis of pollution levels than land-based recordings, as measuring stations are present only in some locations.

The Aura satellite, which was launched in 2004 and orbits the world 14 times a day at an altitude of 705km, has an instrument that measures how much solar radiation is backscattered or reflected by components in the air.

The International Council on Clean Transportation announced in 2023 that the introduction of EU regulation level vehicle emission standards in the UAE had significantly reduced the release of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from light-duty vehicles in the emirate.

This finding was based on a project carried out in spring 2023 with the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi and other organisations.

Last year, The National reported how countries in the Middle East had the world’s highest levels of dangerous air pollution particles, which are causing millions of heart disease deaths globally each year, according to a study from the World Heart Foundation (WHF).

Tightening rules

While the UAE still trails EU nations in the implementation of vehicle emissions standards – the bloc applied a standard to new vehicles in 2006 – rules are being toughened. In a phased implementation from next January until July 2027, the EU’s stricter Euro 6B vehicle emissions standard will be applied to light and heavy-duty vehicles imported into the UAE.

Dr Francis said cutting levels of SO2 and NO2 was “vital” because these pollutants irritate the lungs and worsen asthma and other respiratory conditions.

“These gases particularly affect vulnerable groups like children, the elderly and people with lung conditions,” she said. “Long-term exposure can lead to chronic respiratory issues and reduced lung function. Therefore, controlling these pollutants improves air quality and protects public health.”

Asher Minns, executive director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia in the UK, said to reduce levels of SO2 and NO2, it was necessary to stop burning fossil fuels, whether to generate electricity, refine oil or power vehicles.

He said transition to renewable energy was likely to have had a relatively modest impact on the region’s levels of pollution. “Not extracting and burning fossils fuels means less NO2 and SO2,” he added.

While there has been heavy investment in renewable power generation in the region, the study noted overall power demand was increasing in the Gulf by about 6 per cent annually.