Activists at Cop27 are calling for a “Paris Agreement for nature” to prevent land degradation and biodiversity loss.
“We are losing biodiversity at the fastest rate in history,” said Lucy Almond, director and chair of Nature4Climate, at a panel for the summit’s Biodiversity Day on Wednesday.
“CBD [the Convention on Biological Diversity] must deliver that Paris moment for nature,” she said.
Marco Lambertini, director general of World Wildlife Fund International, echoed the same message.
“We want a Paris-style agreement for nature,” he said. “What we can learn is to move faster. It took too long to realise we are in a disaster.”
The Paris Agreement, adopted by 196 parties in 2015, aims to limit global warming this century to well below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5ºC.
Under the treaty, countries submit nationally determined contributions to report on their progress.
The CBD, adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
In pictures - Cop27's Blue Zone
But environmentalists, campaigners and experts say that is not enough. They are asking for a global biodiversity framework that would include conservation targets and progress reports similar to the NDCs.
After Cop27 in Sharm El Sheikh concludes on Friday, another “Cop” will follow next month in Montreal, Canada.
At the UN Biodiversity Conference Cop15, governments are meant to come together to agree on a new set of goals to guide global action throughout this decade to stop and reverse nature loss.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration runs from 2021 through 2030, the deadline for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the timeline scientists have set as the last chance to prevent a climate change catastrophe.
Wildlife populations have fallen by nearly 70 per cent over the past five decades, according to the WWF’s Living Planet report released in October.
It described climate change and biodiversity loss as “two sides of the same coin”.
“Climate change and nature loss are not only part of the same challenge. They are interconnected and reinforcing each other,” Mr Lambertini said. “They are equal dangers to the future.”
Nature-based solutions
While the solutions to biodiversity loss and land degradation require financial and political commitments, countries have been warned that they cannot afford to ignore the problem.
The World Economic Forum estimates that $44 trillion of economic value generation — over half of global total GDP — is dependent on nature.
“The economic case for nature preservation has never been stronger,” Mr Lambertini told The National.
“Nature is effectively providing so many services to the economy, so it’s not just about the economy, but it’s also about the economy.”
Nature-based solutions have been shown to be cost-effective, have regenerative abilities and help fight climate change.
For example, farmer-managed natural regeneration involves the regrowth of trees and shrubs from felled tree stumps, root systems or seeds, rather than planting new ones.
Tony Rinaudo, an Australian agronomist, pioneered the method as he helped to transform millions of hectares of dry land in Niger.
“With nature-based solutions, it’s not an either-or,” Mr Rinaudo, principal natural resources adviser at World Vision Australia, said at a separate panel. “Despite the success, there is a lack of awareness globally on the potential of this method.”
Projects that regenerate land or biodiversity are not always seen as profitable or bankable by investors.
That is changing with initiatives such as 1,000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People, which seeks to bring different sectors — for example, forests and fisheries — together into infrastructure projects that can be presented to investors.
“The good news is that investors are getting really excited about restoration and wanting to pay for it,” said Paul Chatterton, founder and chief executive of the Landscape Finance Lab.
Nico Janssen, programme lead for agricultural livelihoods at the Ikea Foundation, said society had to change the narrative to appreciate what the planet is providing and how it is being exploited.
“We need a radical transformation of this system, so that people, nature and climate collaborate much better,” Mr Janssen said.
World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20and%20Alex%20Pastor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGeorgina%20Campbell%2C%20Mario%20Casas%2C%20Diego%20Calva%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Age: 30
Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium
Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology
Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging
Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
57%20Seconds
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RESULTS
Manchester United 2
Anthony Martial 30'
Scott McTominay 90 6'
Manchester City 0
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20ASI%20(formerly%20DigestAI)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Quddus%20Pativada%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Artificial%20intelligence%2C%20education%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243%20million-plus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GSV%20Ventures%2C%20Character%2C%20Mark%20Cuban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
