A UAE newspaper has said that the UAE is powering the global sustainability bid, noting that the issue of biodiversity conservation and development of wildlife has received considerable and early attention in the UAE.

It is reflected in the tremendous efforts made by the country and its significant achievements in this area, from enacting legislation and monitoring its implementation, establishing, and expanding protected areas to protecting, breeding and reintroducing endangered species into their natural habitats.

"The UAE's visionary leadership considers land and sea diversity as an integral part of the young nation's heritage," said Khaleej Times in an editorial on Tuesday.

The Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) has also announced a policy to reduce the amount of single-use plastic material in Abu Dhabi and mitigate its harmful effects.

The policy aims to keep plastics out of the environment and eliminate the use of avoidable single-use plastic materials through fostering a culture of recycling and re-use and encouraging more sustainable practices in the community.

"The EAD made Abu Dhabi free of single-use plastic bags since last year," added the editorial comment.

Similarly, the Dubai Government will impose a tariff of 25 fils on single-use bags used for carrying goods, starting from July 1, 2022.

The policy will be evaluated over several stages until single-use carrier bags are completely banned within two years, following the assessment of behavioural changes in the community.

The introduction of the policy to limit and ultimately ban single-use bags aims to strengthen Dubai's sustainability objectives in line with global best practices for reducing the consumption of single-use bags.

The step supports adopting a green, low carbon economy in alignment with the Dubai Waste Management Strategy 2041and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by the United Nations for 2030.

The Dubai-based daily concluded by saying, "The sustainability drive is on at the Expo 2020 Dubai, where 95 percent of the landscape area is managed without chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilisers. Such pioneering initiatives make the UAE a future-ready nation as it embarks on celebrating the 'Next 50'."