A senior Palestinian environment chief said the enclave's presence at Cop29 sends a signal to the world over its steadfast commitment to combating climate change, despite the devastating impact of Israel's war on Gaza.
Ahmed Abuthaher, director general for projects and international relations at the country's Environment Quality Authority, said the international community was in Azerbaijan to try to keep the 1.5ºC goal alive but Palestine was doing so while also facing conflict.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Abuthaher said it was difficult to protect the environment in ordinary times so "imagine in terms of a war".
“Our main message for Cop29, for the State of Palestine, is that all the world is looking [at] keeping the 1.5ºC [goal] achievable and attainable,” Mr Abuthaher told The National on the sidelines of the summit in Baku, but "that is not the case" for Palestinian territories which are suffering bombardment.
“There are more than 40,000 killed [and] more than 100,000 injured,” he said, adding that Israel had dropped more than 80,000 tonnes of explosives in Gaza since the war started.
Climate crisis and conflict
A Palestinian delegation is attending the talks this year. Protests highlighting the war have also taken place. There is no Palestinian pavilion in Baku but their presence at the summit sends its own defiant message.
“We have to go forward," said Mr Abuthaher, also his country’s national focal point for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
"Even [with] the hard and very difficult situation in Palestine, we have to comply with our responsibilities towards the multilateral international agreements like climate change.
“Here we are speaking about climate change. We are speaking about human rights. We are speaking about keeping the environment but back home unfortunately the war is there – the genocide and ecocide.”
The war in Gaza has been taking place since October 2023 when Hamas launched attacks on Israel. Since then, Israel has expanded the conflict to Lebanon with the fighting taking a huge toll on civilian life. Israel denies the allegation of genocide, saying it is defending itself after the October 7 attack.
The consequences for the environment have been staggering. A preliminary report from the UN Environment Programme (Unep) in June found the effects on Gaza were “unprecedented”.
The assessment documented how the community has been exposed to rapidly growing soil, water and air pollution and risks of irreversible damage to its natural ecosystems.
“Not only are the people of Gaza dealing with untold suffering from the ongoing war, the significant and growing environmental damage in Gaza risks locking its people into a painful, long recovery,” Inger Andersen, Unep executive director, said at the time.
“Water and sanitation have collapsed. Critical infrastructure continues to be decimated. Coastal areas, soil and ecosystems have been severely impacted. All of this is deeply harming people's health, food security and Gaza's resilience.”
An initial study published on the Social Science Research Network this year said emissions from the first 120 days of the Gaza conflict exceeded the annual emissions of 26 countries and territories. The cost of rebuilding Gaza’s 100,000 damaged buildings would lead to 30 million metric tonnes of harmful, warming gases, it said.
'We're still here, that's our message'
Palestine is part of the UNFCCC convention, signed up the Paris deal, and has even published its own climate plan – known as a nationally determined contribution – but the war has made a tough job even tougher.
“It's very difficult,” said Mr Abuthaher, when asked how he keeps the focus on climate in light of the war. “It is very difficult because … our main goal is to protect the environment. But back home ... to protect for whom? In usual, ordinary situations it is very difficult to protect the environment. Imagine in terms of a war.”
Palestinian territories were already battling the effects of man-made climate change and now face higher temperatures, water scarcity, droughts, energy stresses and rising sea levels.
“So there are several aspects affected by climate change rather than the occupation,” he said. The occupation means it is “more difficult to combat climate change”.
“First we hope that the war stops now,” he said. “After the war, I think it is an opportunity to rebuild Gaza, taking into consideration climate resilience.”
Peace, conflict and recovery is an issue gaining more prominence at Cops. Cop28 in Dubai saw a “declaration on climate, relief, recovery and peace that aimed to drive action around vulnerable countries threatened by fragility and war.
The Cop29 Presidency on Monday also launched the “Baku call on climate action for peace, relief and recovery", in collaboration with Egypt, Italy, Germany, Uganda, the UAE and UK.
It aims to develop a strategy for preventing climate-induced conflicts and bolster climate and conflict vulnerable countries.
Azerbaijan has also appealed for countries to stop fighting during the summit in a "Cop truce", but conflict has continued across the world from Gaza to Ukraine to Sudan.
There are now only days left at Cop29 for countries to agree a deal on one of the hardest topics of all – money.
Mr Abuthaher said there was a chance of agreement but, aside from that, it was simply important for Palestine to be there.
Nisreen Tamimi, chairman of the Environment Quality Authority, will address Cop29 on behalf of Palestine on Wednesday. And it is hoped that a Palestinian pavilion will appear at Cop30 next year in Brazil.
“We are here,” he said. “Even with the hard situation, Palestine is still present in the Cop. This is the main message.”
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Scoreline
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 17
Jebel Ali Dragons 20
Harlequins Tries: Kinivilliame, Stevenson; Cons: Stevenson 2; Pen: Stevenson
Dragons Tries: Naisau, Fourie; Cons: Love 2; Pens: Love 2
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Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
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