The world faces a scathing verdict on its efforts to tackle climate change after talks ended on Tuesday on an appraisal that the designate UAE presidency says will “frame all of our work” at the Cop28 summit in Dubai.
The host will oversee the first five-yearly “global stocktake” ordered by the Paris Agreement, the deal that set the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
With the next progress report not due until 2028, the stocktake in Dubai is considered a key moment for countries to rethink their national go-green plans.
Hana Al Hashimi, the UAE’s chief climate negotiator at Cop28, said it would be a milestone moment to “course correct for 2030 and beyond, for the future we all want”.
Talks on the “technical phase” of the stocktake ended in Bonn, Germany on Tuesday, clearing the way for a “political phase” at Cop28 where leaders and policymakers could issue a joint call to action.
The two scientists tasked with reporting back on the talks, Farhan Akhtar from the US and Harald Winkler from South Africa, have made clear they see global emissions as “not in line” with the 1.5°C goal.
“It’s clear that we’ve made significant yet inadequate progress,” Mr Akhtar said.
Negotiators and lobbyists who spoke to The National said the stocktake should call for urgent emissions cuts to keep 1.5°C within reach – preferably without overshooting the target first and trying to claw temperatures back later.
“We think that 1.5°C is where we should focus our attention. It is still feasible,” said UK negotiator Iliana Cardenes on the sidelines of the talks in Bonn.
Paris%20Agreement
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The stocktake is a “vehicle for action” that can “set out really clear next steps for climate action in the critical decade that we have left”, she said.
Carlon Mendoza, a negotiator from Trinidad and Tobago, argued that any delay in phasing out fossil fuels would be unfair to future generations.
“We should be focusing on pathways to 1.5°C and not an overshoot,” he said.
Events involving high-ranking figures are planned in the first week of Cop28 to address the stocktake, said the summit’s chief executive Adnan Amin.
Those talks could produce “key political messages and recommendations” that inform a final decision or declaration on the stocktake, he said. The summit starts in Dubai's Expo City on November 30.
A critical moment for us to embark on a new and ambitious pathway
Adnan Amin
The talks in Bonn were mired in familiar climate controversies, with rich countries urged to shoulder the burden of a crisis that poorer countries did little to bring about.
Cuban diplomat Pedro Luis Pedroso Cuesta, speaking on behalf of 134 developing countries including China, piled pressure on rich countries to lead the way in emissions cuts.
“Historical emissions are unequal. The impacts and risk associated with warming are also unevenly distributed,” he said.
India said it did not want to see “prescriptive messages” in the stocktake that order developing countries down a path of “constraining energy consumption and income growth”.
Some ways of getting to 1.5°C modelled by scientists “project a future for us that we do not want”, said the Indian delegation, which succeeded at Cop26 two years ago in securing committments to phase down coal.
The US hit back by saying development needs “cannot be an excuse” to delay emissions cuts.
Washington believes that “collective progress” is not on track and that the stocktake should stress the need for everyone to ditch fossil fuels, end deforestation and cut methane emissions, US diplomats said in Bonn.
Mr Akhtar said parties had expressed a wish to “convey both hope and urgency” and deliver a report that could inspire further action.
Experts warn that missing the 1.5°C target by even half a degree would bring a higher risk of floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, melting of ice sheets and a devastating rise in sea levels.
The top UN science panel advising on climate change said in a March report that humans had unequivocally caused about 1.1°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels already.
Small island states want the report to stress that the threat of rising sea levels is already hanging over them.
Activists in Bonn said the stocktake should include “strong political signals” about a switch to renewable energy.
Fernanda Carvalho of the World Wildlife Fund said countries should be asked to rethink their 2030 targets and given a “strong call” to phase out fossil fuels.
“We have two elephants in the room. One is ambition – the targets are not going to get us to where we need to be – and the other is implementation,” she said.
“We don’t have the right targets, but even the wrong targets are not being implemented.”
Another key question is finance, which India described as “nowhere near” the desired scale, and several countries said should figure prominently in the report handed to politicians.
Canada and Germany have expressed optimism that a promise of $100 billion in funding for global climate action will finally be ready this year after it was promised in 2009, a delay the UAE presidency has described as a distraction.
The stocktake must drive systems transformations
Adnan Amin
The total cost could run into the trillions and Algeria, speaking on behalf of a group of Arab countries, said the stocktake “needs to identify solutions” to put more money in reach for developing countries.
Lidy Nacpil, a campaigner from the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, said the stocktake should also address progress on adapting food production to warmer temperatures.
Ms Nacpil acknowledged that demands for a total end to fossil fuels might seem unrealistic at present.
“We’re working very hard to make sure that what we actually get in the end is not what is realistic now,” she said.
Mr Amin promised diplomats on Monday that the stocktake “will frame all of our work” when the UAE assumes the summit presidency.
The global stocktake “is a critical moment for us to embark on a new and ambitious pathway to a sustainable future”, Mr Amin said.
“The stocktake must drive systems transformations that enable us to collectively meet the ambition of the Paris Agreement and to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach,” he said.
A formal report on the Bonn talks is expected to be published in September, before Cop28 starts on November 30.
The response in Dubai could include a joint call to action, or a formal decision of the 194 parties to the Paris Agreement, that sets out plans for key sectors or identifies good practices.
There is a 2025 deadline for countries to hand in an updated climate plan and they are expected to take the stocktake into account.
The UN’s top climate official Simon Stiell has said the stocktake “must be a turning point”.
While scientists have called for drastic emissions cuts by 2030, the stocktake “will show that we are not yet on that path”, he said.
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
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
GOODBYE%20JULIA
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
SPECS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
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.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Mountain%20Boy
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Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
Paris%20Agreement
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