Greater Middle East

Caricature by Mohammad Ali Rajabi-IranDaily

Shame on West’s Dual-Standard Toward Human Rights

UAE's Manmade Islands Jeopardize Persian Gulf Ecosystem

The Persian Gulf environment will be endangered if its littoral states do not prevent the construction of the so-called "World Islands".
Having made baseless claims about the three Iranian islands of Abu Musa and the Lesser and Greater Tunb, the United Arab Emirates plans to build more than 325 artificial islands by expending billions of dollars in the Persian Gulf waters.
The World Islands are manmade islands that would be shaped as continents of the world, off the coast of Dubai.
The UAE currently possesses 60 square kilometers of Persian Gulf islands and according to Sultan bin Salim, the project manager of the World Islands, the UAE's island area will increase to 1,200 square kilometers.
The construction of these artificial islands will not only entail environmental degradation, but would also change the geopolitics of the Persian Gulf.
The Persian Gulf is presently home to many species and biodiversity. More than 500 fish, 15 shrimp and five rare turtle species inhabit the region.
Experts of international organizations have warned against the destruction of Dubai's sole coral coast and coastal nests of turtles in the first phase of this project. They have also warned about the change in the quality of Persian Gulf water.
Director general of Iran’s Department of Environment, Seyyed Mohammad Baqer Nabavi, said he has called on the officials of the Regional Convention for Cooperation to Protect and Improve Coastal Zones and the Marine Environment to examine whether the construction of manmade islands in the Persian Gulf is in compliance with the international environmental standards.
Referring to the "very sensitive" nature of Persian Gulf, Nabavi said any interference in its ecosystem as a result of these activities will negatively impact the region’s environment, Fars News Agency reported.
In an open letter to UN Chief Kofi Annan, a copy of which was faxed to Iran Daily, Seyyed Mohammad Jafar Sadat-Mousavi who heads the Majlis Environmental Faction, urged him to address the environmental concerns related to the World Islands.
Sadat-Mousavi pointed out that the project is a blatant violation of the international conventions of 1958 and 1982, as well as their provisions.