Antonio Guterres led calls on the worldwide shipping industry to step up to the climate challenge by not only adopting a 2050 net-zero target but agreeing on a global levy on ships to achieve it at a summit in London this week.
The International Maritime Organisation is deciding how to cut greenhouse gases from an activity that contributes 3 per cent of emissions. Delegates have been asked to overcome divisions on the surcharge that UN Secretary General Mr Guterres described as necessary to keep the world on a pathway to capping global warming at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
“Measures such as carbon pricing will push the industry in the right direction by making zero-emission fuels more competitive,” he said, “while the finance generated can support the just transition in developing countries and address the needs of those most vulnerable to the climate crisis.
“The industry has seen some progress but it must move much faster to get on track and drive investment and innovation.
“I urge you to leave London having agreed a Greenhouse Gas Strategy that commits the sector to net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest – and that includes ambitious science-based targets starting in 2030.”
Simon Stiell, the UN's climate change committee executive secretary, also pushed for more political engagement from the maritime industry on the 1.5°C target in the run up to the Cop28 meetings which open in UAE in November. He warned against complacency from the states that make up the rule-setting organisation amid calls for faster reform that increases compliance with the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“This body has to do more on climate change now,” he said. “If parties represented here at the IMO choose a low-ambition pathway, our ability to meet our Paris commitments will be compromised.
“It is possible to limit global warming to 1.5°C with rapid, deep and immediate emissions reductions across all sectors of the global economy. How you revise IMO’s GHG strategy is critical for keeping 1.5°C alive.”
Efforts to decarbonise so far centre on a 2018 IMO decision that instructed shipping firms to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, from 2008 levels. The target is considered insufficient given the level of global emissions and compared to other industries, including aviation, which is aiming for net zero by the same midcentury deadline.
The revised strategy is looking for a 20-25 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases in 2030 and up to 70 per cent in 2040. The language in the talks for net zero is either 2050, with some caveats, or by the middle of the century. These measures are set to gain backing even though some countries have said a net-zero commitment does not capture how the industry can change its operations to meet climate goals.
IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim told a briefing that the maritime industries, including shipbuilding, energy and finance as well as cargo, could not ignore the need for climate policies. “I don't think we will fail to adopt a decision,” he said in a briefing. “We have to adapt. We need the financial resources to help the disproportionally impacted countries in different ways.”
An IMO panel meeting in May said a levy on emissions from shipping as a part of a basket of measures is critical to the organisation's actions required for meeting the 1.5°C temperature goal. Although the measure would be adopted in 2025 and rolled out two years later, the type of tax or level is still to be determined in talks this week.
The idea is that the funds collected from a universal IMO carbon levy should contribute towards funding a just, fair and equitable transition to a net-zero economy. Advocates of the measure want to set a rate of $100 per tonne of greenhouse gas. The surcharge on the ship fuel consumed could raise up to $80bn a year.
A powerful move to push back against the levy proposal includes countries from Australia to China. Beijing's delegation called for the “flat levy/fund/contribution/fee” to be renamed in the final communique so that exemptions could be included.
The meeting at the body's permanent headquarters across the river from the British parliament is pitting climate-vulnerable nations – particularly Pacific islands – and richer countries against big exporters like Brazil.
During the Brazilian intervention, the representative warned against poorer countries seeing the shipping levy as a route to getting compensation for damage from climate change from world trade. Brazil believes a tax of that nature would cause “structural damage” to the global economy.
The vast majority of the world's 100,000 cargo ships – which carry 90 per cent of the world's goods – are powered by high-polluting diesel.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
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Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
The%20Little%20Mermaid%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rob%20Marshall%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHalle%20Bailey%2C%20Jonah%20Hauer-King%2C%20Melissa%20McCarthy%2C%20Javier%20Bardem%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)
Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)
Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)
Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)
Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
Teams in the EHL
White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%C2%A0profile
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All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
More from our neighbourhood series:
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.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200