Wind turbines operated by ScottishPower Renewables seen at Whitelee Onshore Windfarm on Eaglesham Moor, south-west of Glasgow. AFP
Wind turbines operated by ScottishPower Renewables seen at Whitelee Onshore Windfarm on Eaglesham Moor, south-west of Glasgow. AFP
Wind turbines operated by ScottishPower Renewables seen at Whitelee Onshore Windfarm on Eaglesham Moor, south-west of Glasgow. AFP
Wind turbines operated by ScottishPower Renewables seen at Whitelee Onshore Windfarm on Eaglesham Moor, south-west of Glasgow. AFP

Economies need custom strategies to meet net-zero goals, experts say


Alkesh Sharma
  • English
  • Arabic

No single programme or strategy is enough to meet the net-zero goals of different countries and businesses, with each having different circumstances, resource endowments and geography, industry experts have said.

Economies must be flexible as they design and enact net-zero plans to achieve the best outcomes, the experts said at an online forum on Friday evening.

The “size and urgency of the task that we have in front of us are huge … there is not going to be a one-size-fits-all approach in achieving net zero targets,” Sama Bilbao y Leon, head of the World Nuclear Association, told the panel.

“Countries need to pick the energy mix that fits them the best … [according to] their social-economic situations and cultural preferences, there is going to be huge diversity,” Ms Bilbao y Leon said.

She was speaking at a “Pathways to Net Zero” discussion held as part of the Global Energy Forum at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Net zero — meaning an economy either emits no greenhouse gases or offsets all of its emissions — is now the accepted standard for countries and companies setting climate targets.

Net-zero pledges have increased rapidly over the past couple of years and now cover 90 per cent of the global economy.

“African countries are committed to meet their climate goals … but we need to look at different options that we have available to achieve our goals. Flexibility is required as we cannot impose one-size-fits-all solution on a very diversified continent,” said Alain Ebobisse, chief executive of Africa50.

“We have to agree some [countries] will transition quickly while others will take longer time,” he added.

Solar panels on hillsides at Xuanhua in Zhangjiakou, one of the host cities for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, in China's northern Hebei province. AFP
Solar panels on hillsides at Xuanhua in Zhangjiakou, one of the host cities for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, in China's northern Hebei province. AFP

Africa50 was established by African governments and the African Development Bank to help bridge the continent’s infrastructure funding gap.

About $50 trillion in incremental investments is required by 2050 to achieve net-zero goals and cut greenhouse emissions from about 51 billion tonnes per year, industry experts said.

They said developed economies have a crucial role to play if the world is to meet its climate goals within the set deadlines.

“Africa is hungry for energy, and we have a huge population. By 2050, Africa’s population would be almost doubled from 1.3 billion today to 2.5 billion … we need to make sure that we cater to this growing energy demand,” Mr Ebobisse said.

Advanced economies have a responsibility to help emerging economies “leapfrog from where they are today towards a future of clean energy”, Ms Bilbao y Leon said.

“Nuclear energy is potentially a game-changer for many countries as it offers a lot of options to match different needs of the countries. It is one of the few low-carbon energies that can produce electricity as well as heat,” she added.

Last year, the Arab world’s second-biggest economy, the UAE, became the first country in the Middle East to set a net-zero target. It aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and plans to invest $160 billion in clean and renewable energy sources over the next three decades.

The Emirates is the only Arab nation that has a full-sized, operational nuclear power plant. It recently completed the construction of Unit 3 at Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. Unit 1 is fully operational and Unit 2 was recently connected to the main grid and continues to undergo testing.

As the world moves towards net-zero pledges, technology will play a key role in helping economies accomplish their aims, said Tim Holt, member of the executive board at Siemens Energy.

“We need technologies for the transition and it’s not going to happen overnight.

“All of us see a future that is potentially all-renewable but how do we get there?

“If we want to make it happen, we need to define what is the transition period, what will be the technologies for the transition period and do we incentivise those technologies that will be used in the transition.”

Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

Getting%20there%20
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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.

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

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

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO

AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

THE BIO

Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren

Favourite travel destination: Switzerland

Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers

Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)              

2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

Formula%204%20Italian%20Championship%202023%20calendar
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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

The specs

Common to all models unless otherwise stated

Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi

0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)

Power: 276hp

Torque: 392Nm

Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD

Price: TBC

THREE
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Updated: January 21, 2022, 10:55 PM`