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Iska45 t1_iy2o7mq wrote

Ah yes, the Abu Dhabi PR team.

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beaniemonk t1_iy3f95n wrote

Alternate headline:

> Abu Dhabi is on pace to erase more plastic bags from existence per day than they do migrant workers, homosexuals, AND political dissenters by 2025.

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SafeHayven t1_iy3j4sx wrote

Exactly. It’s still an oppressive Islamic hellhole. This is window dressing at best.

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy3mni3 wrote

Describing UAE as "Islamic" is kind of pushing it, when push comes to shove nobody gives a shit about "Islamic" values.

Turns out that in the end, even Ramadan wasn't holy enough to justify imposing restrictions on tourism.

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Oglark t1_iy3n502 wrote

They had to liberalise - the appeal of the UAE to Western expats in the private sector has always been that you could access the Saudi Market but live in a relatively moderate and safe environment. MBS has really opened up Saudi. UAE has to shift towards tourism as a second leg for the economy.

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cryptic-fox t1_iy3yv34 wrote

> Describing UAE as "Islamic" is kind of pushing it, when push comes to shove nobody gives a shit about "Islamic" values.

Not true.

> Turns out that in the end, even Ramadan wasn't holy enough to justify imposing restrictions on tourism.

Impose restrictions on tourism during Ramadan? Like what kind of restrictions?

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy3zcy6 wrote

A long ago restaurant opening times were restricted, later they weren’t allowed to sell alcohol and had to cover their windows so nobody can see in.

That’s all gone now, alcohol flows freely and restaurants operate normally during Ramadan. Well, not entirely normally, they actually stay open longer than usual.

> Not true.

Shit, they even decriminalised weed imports and legalised medical marijuana last year.

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SafeHayven t1_iy44yzq wrote

Sounds like progress to me.

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy46lyt wrote

Indeed, the rulers of the country understand very well that liberalisation is the only way forward and have been boiling the frog for decades. The Emiratis are super well taken care of, and have little to no incentive to pick fights with the bosses even if they don't necessarily fully agree with the more liberal policy.

By taking small steps, they've turned previously unthinkable things into facts of life, and the pace only continues to accelerate. The younger generations of Emiratis will have lived their entire lives in super westernized UAE, and almost certainly have studied in the west too.

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SafeHayven t1_iy47uut wrote

When they stop using Indian slave labor and respect women’s and LGBT rights, I will accept their rule as legitimate. Not before. Until then they are just tyrants imposing their values on others at gunpoint. The fact that they’re not as bad as the Saudis or Afghanistan doesn’t mean they’re “liberal.”

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy4afof wrote

> When they stop using Indian slave labor

It is less than honest to call people who voluntarily come to work for very high wages "slaves". How many Indian labourers in the UAE have you talked to? I like their food, so have met a bunch.

From a western perspective their stories sound crazy, many haven't seen their families for decades. On the other hand, they all tell me how they now own lots of land back home and can pay for their kids to go to university.

> respect women’s rights

You are correct, UAE is still behind on this. But the rapid liberalisation is undeniable https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates#Law

It's also worth noting that non-muslims have completely different rules, https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/11/12/abu-dhabis-new-family-law-hailed-as-step-toward-gender-equality/

>The fact that they’re not as bad as the Saudis or Afghanistan doesn’t mean they’re “liberal.”

Nobody called the country "liberal" or even pleasant. What are you going on about?

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mexicandemon2 t1_iy49b4k wrote

As a UAE national, it isn’t at gunpoint, it’s more of a social contract, wherein so long as the rulers provide for things and are benevolent enough, the people are content with their rule. Many people in the country like the rulers and prefer them. Now that’s not to say everything is dandy or that there are no issues. Progress is being made but it can’t happen overnight. It needs to be deliberate and taken step by step. In due time, there will be greater rights extended to the LGBTQ community and the end of the Kafala system within the emirates is in sight.

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DAecir t1_iy53eqt wrote

There are issues in every country. The US is attempting to send women's rights back 50 years right now, for example.

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heartless-tramp t1_iy4dkrx wrote

They are progressing, but not in the way that you are probably thinking

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cryptic-fox t1_iy40o2v wrote

And? That doesn’t mean Muslims don’t find Ramadan holy or they don’t care about Islamic values, they do very much care. It’s still very much an Islamic country but there are also non-Muslims living in the UAE, we can’t ignore that. And alcohol is served in specific areas. Also, restaurants stay open longer than usual during Ramadan so the people who were fasting can dine in them after they break their fast. During Ramadan a lot of Muslims like to stay awake longer than usual and some stay awake until fajr prayer and they go to bed when they start their fast and after prayer which is around 4/5 AM.

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy43967 wrote

I think we're talking about different things :) Most Western countries could be described as Christian, and I agree that the UAE is certainly Islamic in the same way. But it's not a theocracy like Iran that tries to impose Islamic values on foreigners moving into the country.

> That doesn’t mean Muslims don’t find Ramadan holy or they don’t care about Islamic values, they do very much care

Yes, on a personal level. Among themselves. Nobody is imposing these values on outsiders like Redditors often tend to believe.

> Also, restaurants stay open longer than usual during Ramadan so the people who were fasting can dine in them after they break their fast.

I'm well aware, but in practice the impact can be a little different. The more international restaurants serving alcohol tend to have a more rowdy party vibe in those later hours during Ramadan than otherwise.

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DAecir t1_iy52qkf wrote

Wasn't the comment that they lowered tourist restrictions even during Ramadan?

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Lookmeinmyeyes12 t1_iy40umk wrote

I’m sure , you haven’t been to Abu Dhabi once or met someone who stays in abu dhabi for you to say that.

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SafeHayven t1_iy454fp wrote

If I went to Abu Dhabi I’d probably be stoned to death, because I’m openly nonbinary. They are extremely anti-LGBT because of Islamic values.

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TriforceFiction t1_iy4ans3 wrote

To be fair, humans have such a large carbon footprint /s

I mean it in a satirical way, but I have heard people on the train actually argue like that and mean it. Kinda scary how you can have such a lack of empathy

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TheRiverStyx t1_iy3qh1x wrote

or just tack on "but still have to use dozens of trucks to haul shit from the Burj and dump it in a treatment plant, not counting all the other buildings that do the same thing."

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy3ld3o wrote

It's perfectly okay to be gay in the UAE though. Only people to be penalised for homosexuality in the UAE in the past decades were people caught having sex in public, but their penalties weren't significantly more severe than they'd have been for a straight couple having sex in public.

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seakingsoyuz t1_iy3o438 wrote

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy3onse wrote

It's okay to be gay, it's not okay to be non-passing transgender. Nobody said the place is perfect.

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SafeHayven t1_iy466f6 wrote

They are transphobic because of their savage culture and benighted, bigoted religion. Let’s be completely honest here.

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heartless-tramp t1_iy4dy3j wrote

Their bigoted religion? Hahahaha then tell me whose religion is not bigoted? Can you do that? Can you?

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy476k9 wrote

Sure, but you're still more likely to have your ass kicked on the street as a transgender person walking around in Europe than in Abu Dhabi or Dubai.

It's indisputable that transgender people are almost universally hated, this problem is hardly exclusive to Islam.

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SafeHayven t1_iy47nan wrote

Completely nonsense. In the Arab world they KILL trans people just for existing.

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy48jcz wrote

They don't kill transgender people in the UAE.

Shit, even in shitholes like Iran they don't kill transgender people. The government will actually pay for you to have a sex change surgery.

Generally these countries have a far bigger problem with transvestites than transgender people, but if you're not passing MTF that's a problem.

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SafeHayven t1_iy49697 wrote

It may not be technically illegal but Sharia is still socially enforced, and Sharia calls for my death. The UAE government doesn’t even let binary trans people in to the country, let alone non-binary and gender nonconforming people.

In Iran, that only applies if you are binary and straight. An asexual, agender person like me would be sent to swing or be stoned.

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CupResponsible797 t1_iy4azkp wrote

UAE generally lets trans people into the country, there are hundreds of ads on various trans escort sites. Grindr is full of transgender folks.

Transgender Emiratis are allowed to go through sex changes and live their lives, even if they don't get to change their gender on their government documents. But the same happens in Western countries https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/health/transgender-emiratis-have-case-rejected-by-uae-high-court-1.810021

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Awesam t1_iy3w1ch wrote

Plastic bag? Believe it or not, Jail.

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Luxypoo t1_iy451mw wrote

So Abu Dhabi has 1.5 million people, and have eliminated 500k per day? How many bags were they using previously!?

The article cites the Emirates as a whole in 2019 using 11 billion bags per year. For 10 million people. 1,100 per person, per year. So 3 plastic bags per day.

That's a shitload of plastic bags.

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DAecir t1_iy528yr wrote

Yes, and let's get rid of all single use bags around the world. My friend used to cut these bags in strips and crochet or weave them into sleeping mats for homeless people. At least they were not going straight to dump sites.

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UndesirableWaffle t1_iy59gi8 wrote

I lived there for 7 years. Your groceries get packed in a ridiculous amount of bags if you let the staff do it for you or do delivery. It wouldn’t be crazy to say you can have like 10 items and 3-4 bags.

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heartless-tramp t1_iy4e3vq wrote

Yeah they use a lot of plastic bags man. I'm glad they're progressing and helping save the environment?

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LEGENDxOFxART t1_iy2pdqo wrote

This is a good start, now let's start next on human rights abuses.

Then we can really clap.

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Dayofsloths t1_iy36j5r wrote

They saved the bags by making the slaves carry things by hand

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Bolt_995 t1_iy3cwch wrote

Reddit gets a seizure when any Middle Eastern-related article is posted.

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SafeHayven t1_iy3jbee wrote

Maybe the Middle East should stop oppressing the living heck out of immigrants, women, and LGBT people. Then we wouldn’t have to complain.

The only nation in that part of the world that respects human rights is Israel. That’s it. And Reddit hates Israel.

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the-crotch t1_iy3jkn8 wrote

>The only nation in that part of the world that respects human rights is Israel.

Lmao

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SafeHayven t1_iy3k0v3 wrote

That’s not a response or an argument.

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the-crotch t1_iy3kbl8 wrote

Why would I argue with satire

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SafeHayven t1_iy3ktm8 wrote

It’s not satire.

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the-crotch t1_iy3l7wd wrote

You should pretend it is, cause if you go around telling people that you honestly believe an apartheid state respects human rights they may mistake you for a fucking idiot.

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SafeHayven t1_iy3m20v wrote

The last apartheid state ceased to exist 20 years ago (South Africa). Israel is a multiethnic, egalitarian democracy that represents ALL citizens. Yes, even Muslims. Even Palestinians. 20% of Israelis are Arabs .

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the-crotch t1_iy3nu87 wrote

>represents ALL citizens

But god help you if you're a non-citizen living in territory they've illegally annexed

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royalsanguinius t1_iy3n6rg wrote

Can I just say thank you for the laugh? I enjoy starting my day off with a good joke, and this was top tier man

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ChairmanUzamaoki t1_iy3v1t4 wrote

Sounds an awful lot like how apartheid South Africa described itself. Multicultural, democratic, representing all citizens.

Just some had better representation but let's not bring that up. 20% of Israelis are Arabs! Therefore everything is perfect for them :)

But I already saw you support Israel unconditionally, think for some reason the entire Levant belongs to them and the people of these lands that have been there for generations should be displaced, and someone disagreeing with you makes them antisemitic LMAO I'm not anti Semitic, I'm just anti dipshit.

Don't worry about responding tho, I'm not gonna engage and you already have plenty of people willing to argue

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wouldntknowever t1_iy3x75r wrote

This MF litterly just said Israel respects human rights….😂😂😂😂😂

Brb bombing kids and families is fine cause they’re pro LGBT.. go human rights!!!

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SafeHayven t1_iy44gss wrote

Why don’t the Palestinians who refuse to integrate just leave? Their holy land of Saudi Arabia is only a few hundred kilometers away. They should ALL go there and leave Israel to Israeli people.

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Fanace5 t1_iy3jfsq wrote

I wonder what it's like to be on this level of cognitive dissonance

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SafeHayven t1_iy3kfig wrote

I knew as soon as I mentioned Israel the antisemites would come out of the woodwork to downvote and leave comments like this.

Let me make myself clear: I support Israel unconditionally, think it should own the entire Levant, and believe any threat to Israel is an existential threat to the Jewish people, especially African and Asian Jews (who have found safety and refuge in Israel after facing Islamic antisemitism in their countries of birth). 🇮🇱

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Fanace5 t1_iy3kw2e wrote

I love how you assume I'm antisemitic because I said you're cognitively dissonant with literally no additional information. Somehow you actually became more cognitively dissonant. Impressive.

Shitting on (admittedly much worse) Islamic theocracies while defending an ethnostate is not the good look you think it is. It is not antisemitic to be against ethnostates. Israel is not the same thing as Jewish people. Don't conflate the two.

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Blu3Stocking t1_iy5nps8 wrote

I agree Middle eastern theocracies aren’t the greatest but in what world is less rights or bad living conditions or even no gay rights worse than straight up murdering people and/or displacing them from their own homes?

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Fanace5 t1_iy9246n wrote

Islamic theocracies also tend to do that though.

0

SafeHayven t1_iy3l81w wrote

Israel is not an ethnostate. There are non-Jewish (including Palestinian) citizens. It is a reaction to Europe’s ethnostate campaign in the 1940s that left over half of Jews worldwide dead.

Please just stop.

−5

Fanace5 t1_iy3lghb wrote

Israel is blatantly governed in the interest of the jewish people and nobody else. That is an ethnostate.

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suspicious-burrito t1_iy4o8y6 wrote

So Isreal is not an ethnostate, but saying anything bad about Isreal is being antisemitic?

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Bolt_995 t1_iy3qqia wrote

Your whole argument fell apart when you alluded that hating Israel is antisemitism.

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Blazerer t1_iy3mjnw wrote

Reddit doesn't hate Israel, Most Redditors tend to dislike terrorist regimes. Bombing civilians, media organisations, and targeting reporters woth snipers tends to qualify as such.

"BuT HaMaS" two wrongs don't make a right. Israel claiming anything they do is retaliation just shows that their government has no right being anywhere near power. Israeli's continuously voting far-right nutjobs into power shows the population isn't much better either.

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rookiefreak t1_iy3uvep wrote

no fucking way you’re being real right now lmao

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SuperHazem t1_iy3qw36 wrote

Yeah they love human rights!… unless you’re Palestinian like I am, in which case they suddenly change their stance on “human rights” and begin killing and displacing you.

Also gay marriage is illegal in Israel lmao this level of cognitive dissonance is repulsive

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BootyBrown t1_iy408h8 wrote

Litterally justed demolished a school for children. While they were still inside...

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/23/israeli-forces-demolish-palestinian-school-in-masafer-yatta

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SafeHayven t1_iy43c2j wrote

Al Jazeera is an Islamic rag that is incredibly antisemitic and biased. This flat out never happened.

−12

SafeHayven t1_iy43r76 wrote

If Palestinians (the ones who don’t want to integrate into Israeli society) don’t like Israel, why don’t they just move? There are 22 Arab nations they can choose from. Why don’t they move to their holy land of Saudi Arabia? Why don’t they go to Iraq, or Morocco, or anywhere else in the Islamic world and leave Jewish people and democratic non-Jewish Israelis alone?

−7

BootyBrown t1_iy49lcd wrote

Theres multiple articles you can just google and find, how can you make this up when isreal recognizes they tore down this school. You obviously dont care about truth, when its something bad about Isreal "media is against us"

Lmfaoo yeah muslims who have been living in this area for generations, even before your zionist came to power, should just up and leave and go to saudi... wtf? West Bank is Palestine, why is Isreal forcfully moving into these area, cant they just live in peace in Tel Aviv?

Palestine is also a muslim holy land, as much as you want them gone Al Aqsa is still there.

🤡 democratic lmao

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kauniskissa t1_iy4g547 wrote

Why don't people who are indigenous to an area just move out? Are you seriously advocating for colonialism?

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Bolt_995 t1_iy6lyfc wrote

He is.

Has the guts to sit behind a computer screen and state that Palestinians need to integrate into Israeli society, and they should leave if they can’t.

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deadbeef1a4 t1_iy49hwv wrote

> The only nation in that part of the world that respects human rights is Israel.

5 million Palestinians would beg to fucking differ…

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NYR_LFC t1_iy35xe3 wrote

What about commercial fishing nets, billionaires on private jets, basically all of china's manufacturing industry. Etc. You know, the real things fucking over the planet.

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mr_doppertunity t1_iy391vu wrote

What about the war in Ukraine, ISIS, and starving African children who suffer from malaria? As a humanity, we absolutely can’t tackle multiple issues at once, so let’s sort them from the most severe to less severe first, then solve one by one. Up until then me and my friends will collect fishnets that billionaires drop from their private jets onto the nearest park and forest. And plastic bags.

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NYR_LFC t1_iy3bjvv wrote

Uh this post is specifically about pollution. What are you on about?

8

Creepy_Tooth t1_iy3lbgr wrote

In case you hadn’t realised, they are mocking your argument where you expanded the scope of the article to encompass unrelated societal ills.

I agree with them.

“Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress”

19

mr_doppertunity t1_iy3yrta wrote

The other user explained it. Chinese pollution is bad, mmmkay, but it doesn’t mean we can litter everywhere until it’s resolved. Or that we shouldn’t solve our local environmental problems. I currently live in a place with AQI 200 at certain hours of the day, people here couldn’t care less about the Chinese and their pollution, let alone fishnets as it’s pretty damn far from the sea.

From my side, I can confirm there’s no fishnets in the forest. No, sir. There are plastic bags though. I’m sure billionaires with their private jets didn’t drop them, it’s ordinary people which got a free plastic bag who do it. However, they kinda lack incentive to get a reusable bag that would last years. I personally use a cloth bag, yet the cashiers still ask if I need a plastic one.

3

weggaan_weggaat t1_iy3xr14 wrote

This list is missing the biggest source of emissions: American consumers.

1

hvdzasaur t1_iy2spdy wrote

Great, now how about those hundreds of poop trucks your country has to drive around because you cheaped out of sewage infrastructure?

I'm sure a few plastic bags offset the pollution caused by that.

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KinshasaPR t1_iy3a75p wrote

I've never understood why people applaud this, it should have become a worldwide standard decades ago.

That being said, I absolutely loved telling customers at my old job that we didn't use plastic bags anymore and see them rage!😅

11

Creepy_Tooth t1_iy3lsg7 wrote

Agree this should have been adopted more widely earlier, but societies move at different speeds on different priorities.

Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress :)

6

Downtown-Cress-5202 t1_iy3045v wrote

While the thicker multi use bags get tossed around instead?

8

DoublePostedBroski t1_iy3j7hb wrote

I see the Middle East PR team is out given the disaster in Qatar

4

SyrusDrake t1_iy3xucn wrote

Ah yes, Dubai Abu Dhabi, the shining beacon of environmental protection.

4

CheekyLando88 t1_iy3ujk9 wrote

Bruh NY and NJ banned plastic bags and I'm sure it had a bigger impact. This is not news. Fix your fucking human right Abu Dhabi

3

KGB_cutony t1_iy40u5k wrote

I hate it when they use numbers where percentages matter more and vice versa. Like oh geez I had a 50% raise! And it's $15 to $22.5...

3

delilahrey t1_iy4201d wrote

You can’t polish a turd.

3

sirpoopingpooper t1_iy3b48n wrote

Assuming there's no replacement with multi-use bags, this is about 2.5 metric tons per day (or 900 metric tons/year). Not nothing...but from an oil-use perspective, that's like getting about 400 drivers off the road. And since plastic bags are a negligible portion of non-landfilled plastic waste, it's unfortunately not actually impactful on any environmental front.

2

weggaan_weggaat t1_iy3xdbc wrote

It's impactful in terms of keeping trash at bay but I agree that it's not a meaningful reduction in oil use.

1

Kagranec t1_iy4684f wrote

It's almost as if our entire economic system needs to be overhauled to have any meaningful impact at all

1

sirpoopingpooper t1_iy48oud wrote

Or at the very least...our politicians need to focus on the big wins (energy, transport, food) instead of the tiniest things that don't actually make a difference (bags).

1

Kagranec t1_iy5p0kf wrote

As if they're going to do that if it isn't profitable to do so....

1

sirpoopingpooper t1_iy5pq3y wrote

There's the problem!! But that's a political system overhaul (economic could be done at the same time, but without political, it's not going to work...)

1

Kagranec t1_iy5q0sq wrote

It's both, they're inherently linked

1

TekkDub t1_iy5jv0u wrote

Okay Abu Dhabi PR team.

2

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1

Cowstein t1_iy3qj6y wrote

It’s ok they’re evened out by the Publix in Tampa

1

sailorjasm t1_iy43mu3 wrote

Multi use bags aren’t the best answer. My city got rid of plastic bags years ago and it wasn’t that great.

Multi use bags are a pain and unless they last over 100 times (which they usually don’t) they can be just as bad as a plastic bag because they end up in the garbage.

Paper bags at least can be biodegradable

1

edgeplot t1_iy484q9 wrote

In Washington state, they outlawed single-use plastic bags. Now when you go to the store you have to pay 8 cents for a reusable plastic bag. But people treat them like disposable plastic bags, only they contain twice as much plastic because they are thicker than single use bags. So on the one hand, the state did completely eliminate single-use plastic bags. But it also inadvertently doubled the amount of plastic bag waste by doubling the amount of plastic in its reusable bags.

1

PM_ME_UR_SO t1_iy4aucb wrote

ITT: Typical Americans who can’t take any good news about the Middle East, as if their country doesn’t have problems of its own

1

cogollento t1_iy4e0i1 wrote

Fuck this. Here in Chile we have basically a culture of plastic bags. Then a law forbidden the bags. A good public policy. No more bags, only the one that you have with you when you go to the supermarket.

1

Bussaca t1_iy4qm6o wrote

Although the number of single use slaves has increased to carry all the things.. so.. 2 steps forward..one step back i guess

1

ScarletCaptain t1_iy4s5og wrote

Now if someone would just stop mailing them annoying little cats...

1

bateees t1_iy4zhih wrote

is that the same guy checking all the bags at the airport

1

Netroth t1_iy56yse wrote

I didn’t realise that these were still in production.

1

ZEROthePHRO t1_iy5rzse wrote

Sounds like a good start.

1

derpferd t1_iy5w541 wrote

They're also working on reducing the number of gay people

1

LeavingThanks t1_iy62jjh wrote

More than should have been used, a lot closer to 0 than they are now

1

ApprehensiveTooter t1_iy6tqg4 wrote

Do they just get the foreign workers to carry the goods instead?

1

Bannedforlife123 t1_iy3p0r6 wrote

Remember when we switched to plastic bags to save the environment? Stop all the paper bags

0

weggaan_weggaat t1_iy3x3bk wrote

"We can't ban plastic bags here in ____ because everyone else would still be using plastic bags."

0

jayheidecker t1_iy41goj wrote

Now do most of SE Asia where literally everything comes with a disposable plastic bag. Food cart in a village 600 miles from any industry that gets 1 truck of supplies in a year? Endless supply of plastic bags. As though it makes whatever you put in it magically cleaner, safe and more valuable...

0

samlukrec1 t1_iy46gcm wrote

I'm sure New Jersey has numbers even better than that. No bags anywhere!

0

BombshellTom t1_iy36jaw wrote

Great. Now stop treating women as second class citizens and homosexuals as criminals.

−1

max_biceps t1_iy3hjk3 wrote

Funny how "News companies" hire one Person who only writes good stuff about the uae

−1

QuestionableAI t1_iy2iil8 wrote

Abu Fucking-Dhabi ... the land of the "I got more money than god and fuck you"? That guy? LOL Christ on a Fucking Crutch ... the jokes just write themselves.

−13