Azerbaijan has announced the agreement of a new green building roadmap. The collaboration with the International Finance Corporation is expected to outline practical and actionable strategies for adopting green building standards, energy efficient infrastructure and the use of environmentally responsible materials in the country.
Anar Guliyev, chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of Azerbaijan, told a high-level round-table at Cop29 that the roadmap “represents a critical step in integrating sustainability into our urban development process”.
Making urban spaces more green was in the spotlight at Cop29 on Wednesday, as delegates heard that the built environment sector contributes nearly 40 per cent to global energy-related annual green house gas emissions.
Ministers, local leaders, development banks and key stakeholders gathered behind closed doors at ministerial meetings on urbanisation and climate change at the climate talks to align efforts.
Anaclaudia Rossbach, executive director of UN Habitat, said that with half of the world living in cities, and with an additional 2.4 billion people expected to move to cities in the next 20 years – it is time to prepare. “Cities need to prioritise the use of land, maximise the use of land, maximise existing buildings. Urban sprawl is a threat, it is a threat for climate, for biodiversity, it is a threat for food security,” she said.
Ms Rossbach said that commitments had been made at ministerial level that will shape a path through to Cop30. “The outcomes and recommendation of the Cop29 ministerial meeting and all the conversations will be instrumental for us in shaping our programme,” she said.
“By bringing urban issues to the forefront, participants have really reaffirmed the central role of cities in achieving global climate targets and building resilient.”
Esther An, chief sustainability officer at City Developments Limited, told The National that greater attention needs to be paid to nature-based solutions such as green roofs, living walls and urban rewilding.
Speaking on the sidelines of Cop29, Ms An, who has recently been appointed to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, said that such solutions can enhance local biodiversity while contributing to decarbonisation.
“These features provide habitats for various species of native birds, insects, and plants, while isolating carbon and reducing the urban heat island effect. Research from the European Environment Agency indicates that green roofs can reduce a building’s energy use by up to 15 per cent,” said Ms An.
Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, adds however that to move the needle on combating climate change in the built environment, it needs to be included in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
“In Glasgow, just 18 per cent of our NDCs have quantifiable targets for mitigation objectives in the building and construction sector. We can surely do better this time around,” Ms Andersen told a room of senior officials.
Speaking at the session, Ahmed Mohammed bin Thani, director general of Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority, shared that the UAE has a strong model of collaboration at a national and local level. “This process was applied while developing and updating the NDCs, as part of the journey, each emirate to communicate the action it is taking to deliver climate action. And this is then reflected into the NDCs.”
In the run-up to Cop29, the UAE was one of the first to release new NDCs, setting a target of reducing emissions by 47 per cent by 2035 compared to the 2019 baseline.
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 2 Bournemouth 1
United: Sharp (45 2'), Lundstram (84')
Bournemouth: C Wilson (13')
Man of the Match: Jack O’Connell (Sheffield United)
EXPATS
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
