Whether diving in the freezing waters of Antarctica or swimming with anacondas in the Amazon, Celine Cousteau’s mission is to reconnect people with their place in the natural world – just like her grandfather, the famed French explorer and filmmaker, Jacques Cousteau.
French-American Cousteau, who is in Abu Dhabi this week, will present a talk today as part of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Social Impact Leaders series. She will also visit local schools through the Jane Goodall Foundation’s Roots and Shoots movement.
Cousteau is the director of CauseCentric Productions, a non-profit organisation that produces and distributes multimedia projects focused on grass-roots organisations working on environmental issues. She has produced and presented television documentaries for PBS, CBS and the Discovery Channel, which involve regular stints out at sea, such as when she spent five months diving off the coast of Antarctica and Easter Island for a 12-part series.
“It was tough and my tolerance for the cold was a lot less than the men’s,” she says of diving in waters with a temperature of minus 2°C. “Before getting into the water you have all this fear, but you have to perform on camera and that creates performance anxiety. Your face goes numb straight away. As long as you’re holding your regulator in your mouth that doesn’t matter, but if you lose mobility in your hands, you really can’t do much. My equipment failed pretty much every single dive, so I conditioned myself for that scenario. I’d dive for about half an hour before my hands and feet went completely numb.”
But Cousteau found it a fascinating experience and compares diving to “swimming through a science fiction movie”. “I could even hear the music score of the film as I dived around this beautiful iceberg,” she says. “We saw penguins swimming underwater, sea stars and nudibranch sea slugs.
“Looking at subtle changes in the light and how it touches the snow makes you much more sensitive to beauty, as opposed to seeing something that is obviously pretty, such as a flower.”
Cousteau also glimpsed what she describes as “cemeteries of whale bones”, harking back to the days when commercial whaling was commonplace. “It’s like swimming through history in a very sad way,” she says. Her grandfather was instrumental in the campaign to restrict commercial whaling in the 1980s, and Cousteau holds fond memories of the man who inspired her life’s calling.
“My grandfather was above and beyond anyone else,” she says. “He was patient, thoughtful, a storyteller. I remember him always pacing and speaking – never ever sitting in front of the television on the couch. He was a bit like a child – he was happy that we believed in Santa Claus and enjoyed playing into that game.”
Like him, Celine is best-known for her work in oceanography, but it's her mission to protect the Amazon rainforest that is closest to her heart. She first travelled there when she was 9, accompanying her grandfather on one of his expeditions. Now she is about to complete a groundbreaking documentary filmed in the Brazilian Amazon, Tribes on the Edge, which she is planning to debut at the Brazilian Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year.
“It was a request of the tribes for me to tell the world that they exist, so it’s been something that I have taken on with great respect and pride.”
Cousteau is also concerned about the drastic depletion of bluefin tuna in recent years.
“Try to also stay away from farmed shrimp, trawled shrimp and farmed salmon,” she says. “When you make one choice, you realise that its not that difficult, then you can make another good choice. Don’t do it all at once, it doesn’t work. And guilt doesn’t work either. Soon enough, populations will rebound.”
Cousteau also stresses the importance of investing in sustainable agriculture. “There is a growing number of people on the planet and we need to find a way to feed them. If we have sustainable practices in agriculture, we can actually create an incredible food system that is economically viable. But it takes forward thinking.”
Cousteau will be in Abu Dhabi next week as a member of the Council of Oceans for the World Economic Forum “to create the agenda for discussions for the world economic forum members.” She will also be speaking at Abu Dhabi’s schools through the Jane Goodall Foundation’s ‘Roots and Shoots’ movement, which is now launching a programme to find 18 to 21 year-olds ambassadors to spread their message of protecting our planet.
“Roots and shoots is about teaching young people that this is their world. They have every right to tell us adults that we need to treat it well”, she says. Cousteau believes children already have an innate understanding of the importance of the natural world. “We become unfamiliar with it because we grow up in cities with everything that is human-made with our wonderful creativity. If we start early on with children, we tap into something that already exists.”
• Celine Cousteau’s talk is on Sunday, October 18, at 5.30pm at NYU Abu Dhabi. For more information, visit nyuad.nyu.edu
artslife@thenational.ae
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
