Global warming puts the health of mothers and babies at risk due to birth complications and food and water shortages linked to extreme heat, scientists warned on Monday.
Progress made across decades in protecting the health of mothers and newborns “is now at risk due to our changing climate”, one expert said. Scientists called it a “blind spot” as they unveiled 10 new findings on the state of the planet.
Extreme heat can also reduce the availability of food and water, forcing new mothers to travel longer distances in dangerous temperatures, scientists said. Food shortages during pregnancy can lead to inadequate nutrition and low birth weight.
The risk of miscarriage can double when working women are exposed to heat and stress, said Jemilah Mahmood, a former health adviser to Malaysia's prime minister and executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health.
The least developed countries with weaker maternal health care will be “doubly affected”, Prof Mahmood told The National. “Because climate change is happening across the globe, you will see that the vulnerable populations will become even more vulnerable.”
One study of working pregnant women in India found that almost half were outside a safe heat threshold. A second survey in three South Asian countries revealed that an increase of just 1°C in average temperatures led to a 4.5 per cent rise in domestic violence. A third set of findings from 33 countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa estimated that floods may be responsible for more than 100,000 pregnancy losses per year.
“These aren't just statistics. They represent real mothers and families bearing the brunt of our changing climate with consequences that can span generations,” Prof Mahmood said. “But here is what should truly shake us: the impact goes beyond direct exposure to climate and extreme weather.
“Climate change creates a cascade of risk for maternal health. When food and water become scarce, new mothers must travel further. When communities are displaced by disasters related to climate change, women lose access to essential health care,” she said.
The 10 new findings were released by groups Future Earth, the Earth League and the World Climate Research Programme ahead of the Cop29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, which opens on November 11. They warned that rising heat and humidity were making large parts of the Earth uninhabitable.
The experts said surging global temperatures were disrupting the Earth's oceans and “pushing the Amazon to the brink of large-scale collapse”. Competition for critical minerals is set to increase and few cities are prepared for the full impact of climate change, they said. They warned that “perceived fairness” is key to whether go-green policies can be accepted by the public.
Greenhouse gas record
Weather forecasters also warned on Monday that pollution in the atmosphere has surged to record levels. CO2 is accumulating “faster than any time experienced during human existence” despite efforts to cut emissions, the World Meteorological Organisation said.
It said the last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of carbon dioxide was three to five million years ago, when the temperature was 2 to 3°C warmer and sea levels were 10 to 20 metres higher than today. CO2 can linger in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, preventing heat from escaping.
“This should set alarm bells ringing among decision makers,” said the World Meteorological Organisation's secretary general, Celeste Saulo. “We are clearly off track to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and aiming for 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
More from UAE Human Development Report:
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
SPECS
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Vikram%20Vedha
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Masters%20of%20the%20Air
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Wonka
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The%20specs
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Killing of Qassem Suleimani