Scientists will gather to discuss air quality and the protection of the marine environment among others at a conference next week in Abu Dhabi. They will also exchange views on carbon capture and storage and renewable energy in the oil and gas industry, said the organisers. The three-day event will be jointly organised by the Faculty of Engineering of UAE University and Japan Cooperation Centre - Petroleum (JCCP), with the support of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). It is the 4th in the series to be held in the UAE and 20th overall in the GCC countries. The main theme of the conference, held at the Intercontinental Hotel from November 22 to 24, will be the challenges for a sustainable environment in the oil and gas industry. The keynote speaker will be Professor Kenji Yamaji, director-general of the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth. He will give a talk on the policy and technology scenarios towards sustainable energy systems. The programme will discuss 16 papers from Japan and the GCC, including three from researchers at the Faculty of Engineering of UAE University. Preservation Morihiro Yoshida, managing director of Technical Cooperation Department at the JCCP, said this is an annual event that promotes the preservation of the environment. These symposia target multitudes of issues ranging from water purification and water management to desert greening and climate change to Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. The objective of the symposia, said Yoshida, is to bring together scientists and professionals from GCC countries and Japan to communicate and exchange knowledge to better understand the improvement and rehabilitation of the environment through the utilisation and application of innovative technologies.