Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber, speaking at the Baku Energy Week, said that Cop29 in Azerbaijan will focus on the issue of climate finance. The National
Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber, speaking at the Baku Energy Week, said that Cop29 in Azerbaijan will focus on the issue of climate finance. The National
Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber, speaking at the Baku Energy Week, said that Cop29 in Azerbaijan will focus on the issue of climate finance. The National
Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber, speaking at the Baku Energy Week, said that Cop29 in Azerbaijan will focus on the issue of climate finance. The National

AI and clean energy shift key to accelerating ‘climate positive’ development


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Advances in artificial intelligence, the switch to cleaner energy sources and economic growth in developing countries must be used to accelerate “climate positive” sustainable development, Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber has said.

Dr Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, was speaking on Tuesday at the Baku Energy Week in Azerbaijan, which will host the Cop29 climate summit in November.

“While AI is driving a surge in energy demand, it is also driving efficiencies that curb emissions. In fact, the growth of AI is one of three mega-trends that will shape our future, alongside the accelerating energy transition and the rise of emerging markets and the Global South,” said Dr Al Jaber.

“The closer AI and energy collaborate, the more solutions we can unlock to drive decarbonised growth everywhere.”

The UAE Cop28 presidency has launched a major partnership with the next two hosts of the climate conference, Azerbaijan and Brazil, to help keep the crucial climate goal of 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels within reach.

The “Cop presidencies troika” aims to boost co-operation and ensure continuity between the hosts of the annual climate talks in what is being called “mission 1.5ºC”.

The Cop28 deal was formally referred to as the Global Stocktake, under which countries were urged to “transition away” from fossil fuels in what was arguably the most significant step forward for global climate action since the 2015 Paris Agreement.

It seeks to keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, which was agreed on in Paris, within reach and avoid the worst effects of climate change.

If global temperatures rise by more than that, the lives and health of billions of people could be endangered, scientists believe.

Dr Al Jaber on Tuesday said the Cop28 presidency and the UAE would work very closely with Azerbaijan’s Cop presidency, and called on all countries to ensure that “Cop29 is a resounding success that builds on the outcomes of Dubai”.

The UAE and Azerbaijan have forged a close relationship, particularly in the renewable energy sector.

Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar and Azerbaijan's state oil company Socar held a ground-breaking ceremony for three major solar and wind projects in the Central Asian country with a total capacity of 1 gigawatt on Tuesday, Abu Dhabi Media Office reported.

These are the 445 megawatt Bilasuvar solar PV, the 315MW Neftchala solar PV and the 240MW Absheron-Garadagh onshore wind projects.

Investment agreements for the projects were reached in October last year, followed by the signing of power purchase pacts, transmission connection deals and land lease agreements.

The plants will offer annual electricity generation of 2.3 billion kilowatt hours, saving more than 500 million cubic metres of natural gas, as well as preventing more than one million tonnes of carbon emissions in the future, officials said.

Masdar, which aims to develop 10 gigawatts of renewable energy projects in Azerbaijan, also opened the 230-megawatt Garadagh Solar Park in the central Asian country last year, the region’s “largest” operational solar plant.

Last year, Masdar opened an office in Baku and pledged to strengthen its support for the country's renewable energy programme. Azerbaijan aims to generate 30 per cent of its total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2030.

Dr Al Jaber also urged the oil and gas industry to lower carbon dioxide and methane emissions.

Last year, 50 oil and gas companies, representing more than 40 per cent of the world's oil production, signed the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter, which calls for net-zero emissions by 2050.

The producers are also aiming for “near-zero” upstream methane emissions and zero-routine flaring by 2030.

“To those who have not signed up yet, I urge to you to do so,” Dr Al Jaber said.

The Cop28 President highlighted that the growth of AI, driven by the expansion of data centres, will necessitate the use of renewable energy along with natural gas.

A surge in power usage from AI data centres could significantly boost natural gas demand in the second half of the decade, according to Tudor Pickering Holt.

An additional 8.5 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas might be needed to keep pace with the increasing demand, the investment bank said in a report in April.

Climate finance

Cop29 will “focus, like no other Cop”, on the issue of climate finance, a key enabler of the UAE consensus, Dr Al Jaber said.

A recent report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that developed countries provided and mobilised more than $100 billion in climate finance to developing countries in 2022, after failing to do so in previous years.

Dr Al Jaber said he was “encouraged” by the news but added that more finance would be required to ensure availability and accessibility.

Alterra, a private investment vehicle launched during Cop28, aims to raise $250 billion globally in the next six years to create a fairer climate finance system. It was initiated with a $30 billion commitment from the UAE.

“We face unprecedented challenges. Yet within these challenges lies an unparalleled opportunity to redefine our future – to pivot towards a path of sustainability and resilience,” said Dr Al Jaber.

In a report on Tuesday, the International Energy Agency said that countries' climate plans are yet to be aligned with the goal to triple renewable energy capacity worldwide by the end of the decade, as agreed at Cop28.

Of the 194 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) previously submitted, only 14 include explicit targets for total renewable power capacity for 2030, the Paris-based agency said.

Renewable capacity ambitions by 2030 across NDCs stand at slightly more than 1,300 gigawatts, about 12 per cent of the global pledge to have an installed renewable capacity of at least 11,000 gigawatts, the IEA said.

Checks continue

A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.

Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.

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

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
SERIE A FIXTURES

Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)

Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),

Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),

Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)

Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm) 

Benevento v Napoli (6pm) 

Parma v Spezia (6pm)

 Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)

Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)

Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

Huddersfield Town permanent signings:

  • Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
  • Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
  • Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
  • Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
  • Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
  • Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
  • Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
  • Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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

RESULTS

Mumbai Indians 181-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata Knight Riders 168-6 (20ovs)

Mumbai won by 13 runs

Rajasthan Royals 152-9 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 155-4 (18.4 ovs)

Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets

Updated: June 04, 2024, 4:43 PM`