The main goal of Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, was to keep the global temperature increase to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. If this is not achieved, experts warn it could signal the difference between extinction and survival for some communities.
While a dystopian future akin to Kevin Costner’s Waterworld or Mel Gibson’s Mad Max films may not be immediately on the horizon, scientists say that glimpses of what is to come have already been experienced in not only the increase in the number of natural disasters, but in the severity of disasters taking place around the globe.
In the UAE, for example, scientists say the floods that affected Dubai in April this year were exacerbated by climate change.
In the US, according to the National Centres for Environmental Information, there have been 24 confirmed climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each this year. That is almost three times the average number of 8.5 events from 1980 to 2023.
This year is on track to be the hottest on record and, in its latest climate statement, the World Meteorological Organisation issued a red alert to highlight that 2015-2024 will be the warmest 10 years in history.
The UN has also warned that if new nationally determined plans are not ambitious enough to rein in greenhouse gas emissions, and if measures are not immediately implemented, the world is on track for a temperature increase of 2.6°C to 3.1°C.
Although negotiations were complex and far-reaching at what has been dubbed the finance Cop, the Paris Agreement – the target agreed upon by 196 parties at Cop21 in Paris in 2015 – still loomed large.
The UN says annual greenhouse gas emission reductions of 42 per cent are needed by 2030 and 57 per cent by 2035 to get on track to 1.5°C. However, on the sidelines of Cop29, new research was published by the Global Carbon Project’s science team showing global carbon emissions from fossil fuels reached a record high in 2024.
Catastrophic consequences
Dr Susana Hancock is the global mountains director at International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, a platform that works to elevate the voices of scientists and local communities from Arctic and mountain regions to reach governments, non-profits, and international forums.
Cryosphere refers to ice, snow and permafrost regions, as well as both polar oceans. Dr Hancock told The National that these areas are going to be lost due to global warming and – while what is happening up in the mountains may seem distant – what happens in the cryosphere does not stay in the cryosphere, and reaches communities and ecosystems around the planet.
She said: “1.5°C really needs to be a hard limit, and it's not an arbitrary number. It is based on science, and what we're seeing in the Arctic and the cryosphere. The glaciated cold regions of the world, mountains, and the Himalayas, the Andes, the Alps, 1.5°C isn't safe. And certainly anything higher that is really not safe.”
By the end of the century, she said, glaciers could lose as much as 80 per cent of volume on the current trajectory – and if the needle is moved from 1.5°C to 2.5°C, the results would be catastrophic.
“We're seeing situations that are getting increasingly dire, and really feel that 2°C, is not a safe environment for this part of the world,” said Dr Hancock.
What does 2°C, 2.5°C, or even 3°C look like?
In a passionate plea earlier this year, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the difference between 1.5°C and 2°C could be the difference between extinction and survival for some small island states and coastal communities.
Developing nations are calling for trillions in climate finance to combat climate chaos. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, developing countries have 15 times more victims of natural disasters than developed nations.
Scientists say further escalation in temperatures will result in the collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, followed by catastrophic sea level rises.
In the US alone, almost 30 per cent of the population live in coastal areas, where rising sea levels play a role in flooding, shoreline erosion and hazards from storms. Globally, eight of the world’s 10 largest cities are near a coast, according to the UN Atlas of the Oceans.
According to the latest IPCC Synthesis Report, with every increment of global warming, regional changes in the average global climate and extremes become more widespread and pronounced.
“Almost half of the world’s population lives in regions that are highly vulnerable to climate change,” said Aditi Mukherji, one of the 93 authors of IPCC Synthesis Report. “In the last decade, deaths from floods, droughts and storms were 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions.”
Further temperature increases would mean a rise in inland and coastal flooding. More displacement of citizens around the globe will also affect physical water availability and agricultural production.
“Communities which tend to live in river valleys due to irrigation and agriculture don't have alerts that there's a flood coming, and it can wipe out an entire village. That's an example of something that we're going to be seeing increasingly over the coming years and decades,” Dr Hancock said.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Company%20Profile
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
The Comeback: Elvis And The Story Of The 68 Special
Simon Goddard
Omnibus Press
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
SPECS
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Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
The years Ramadan fell in May
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
More on Quran memorisation:
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
More from Neighbourhood Watch
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
