1.
Is Bahrain
inhabitants’
lifestyle in line
with concepts
of sustainable
development?
What should be improved?

2.
Introduction
 What is sustainable development?
 Bahrain at a glance
 Bahrain at a glance – revisited
 Sustainable development opportunities
 How to improve?

3.
What is sustainable development?
UN definition: “The use of renewable and
non-renewable resources in a manner
that meets the needs of the present
without sacrificing the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.”
Brundtland Report - 1987

4.
What is sustainable development?
Environment
EconomicSocial

5.
Bahrain at a glance
 Kingdom of Bahrain
 Capital city: Manama
 Independent since August 1970
 Population: 1.4 Mio
 GDP: 31.1 Bio USD
 60+% of the population is below 30 years
 Banking & financial services center
 Home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet

6.
Bahrain at a glance

7.
Bahrain at a glance - revisited
- Water contamination
- No public sewage system
- No water treatment facility

8.
Bahrain at a glance - revisited
- Oversized, fuel-inefficient cars
- No efficient public transport
- No car technical control

9.
Bahrain at a glance - revisited
- No stringent construction guidelines
- No insulation
- Poor energy efficiency
- No calcium water treatment

10.
Bahrain at a glance - revisited
- Poor initiatives for sorting of waste
- No re-use or recycling of waste

11.
Bahrain at a glance - revisited
- Expansion through land reclaim
- Potable water through desalination
- Desertification

12.
Conclusion

13.
Sustainable development opportunities
SHORT TERM
 Define clear vision & communicate plan
 Build guiding coalition with key stakeholders
 Promote energy efficiency (water, electricity)
 Motivate and facilitate the sorting of waste
 Segregate hazardous waste
 Sanction inadequate personal behavior

14.
MEDIUM TERM
 Support energy-efficient house construction
 sustainable insulation
 low-energy lighting specifications
 natural light optimization
 central air-conditioning (rather than split units)
 low flow faucets and toilets
 smart appliances, smart meters, etc.
 Promote local fishermen & organic farming
 Develop reliable public transport
Sustainable development opportunities

15.
LONG TERM
 Control & contain desertification
 Use renewable energy sources (sun, wind)
 Recycle waste into valuables
 Change people‟s mentality
 Create civic engagement
Sustainable development opportunities

16.
How to improve?
People seldom change their behavior all at
once, but rather go through predictable
phases:
AWARENESS
INTEREST
EVALUATION
ADOPTION

17.
How to improve?
AWARENESS
 Public information campaigns
 close or repair water tap
 switch off stand-by power
 switch off light when leaving
 segregate common waste
 etc.
 Educate population in ludic manner

18.
How to improve?
INTEREST
 Increase price of utilities
 Reduce plastic bag consumption
 Promote recyclable packaging
 Engage in education at school level
 Reward „early adopters‟

19.
How to improve?
EVALUATION
 Continuously measure and monitor
 Evaluate progress towards objectives
 Fine-tune, re-assess, emphasize, …
 Communicate results

20.
How to improve?
ADOPTION
 Top-down implementation
 “Reduce – Re-use – Recycle” is the norm
 Sanction incoherent behavior
UAE announced a plan to ban
all plastic carrier bags by 2013
Arabian Business, Feb 2010