UAE to ban single-use plastic shopping bags starting in 2024

The UAE, a major oil producer and the host of this year’s United Nations climate summit, has declared it aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 — a target that remains difficult to assess.

Plastic bags are known as one of the most problematic kinds of garbage, polluting streets and waterways and harming birds and marine life. Plastic takes decades to degrade and microscopic particles have been found inside the bodies of fish, birds and other animals.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, imposed a ban on single-use plastics in June, and the futuristic city of Dubai began charging around 6 cents for such bags in July.