Environmental Issue In Kuwait

Introduction

Kuwait having one of the highest GDP and the least fuel price provides an ideal opportunity for ownership of motorized vehicles. Weather has also a major role in this issue where in long summer (lasting about nine months), temperature sores to nearly 50 ºC very often and in short winter, and it drops to single digit value in early mornings and nights. The road transport is vital for the local inhabitants as the sole means of transport (commuting and transporting goods). In the last decade, the motorized road vehicle fleet has grown significantly bringing unprecedented mobility to the burgeoning population.

Discussion

With the growth of vehicles, the fuel consumption has also increased. Air pollution is a worldwide problem and considered to be a critical issue in most industrialised countries. Historically, in both industrialised and developing countries the main cause of air pollution has been high levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2) emission resulting from the combustion of sulphur containing fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, for power generation. Industrial development in countries with a hot, dry, desert climate has led to an increase in the demand for electricity for air conditioning systems and refrigeration. This increase in electricity consumption has in turn led to an increase in the pollutant levels in the ambient air (Requier-Desjardins 41-97).

Such conditions exist in a number of areas throughout the world. One example is the state of Kuwait, which is located in a dry desert region with a hot climate and for almost six months in a year the afternoon temperature can rise to 45 °C. Therefore, per capita energy consumption in Kuwait has increased at an average rate of 7.7%, while in industrialised countries this rate is about 2-3% (Al-Temeemi, 1995). To cope with the increasing demand a new power station with ...