Disappointed by uneven progress at the last round of global climate talks in Egypt, one of the key players at Cop28 is hoping for gains across the chessboard when the world assembles in Dubai in five weeks’ time.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide is wearing two hats before the summit: as a representative of the oil and gas-exporting Nordic country, and as a facilitator asked by the UAE to take soundings on what countries are thinking before Cop28.
In an interview with The National, he gave a cautiously upbeat verdict on those discussions – “so far, so good” – and set out Norway’s hopes for a summit that will need to "find the political response" to a series of dire climate warnings.
Tackling climate change is a triathlon of reducing emissions now (mitigation in UN jargon), preparing for extreme weather in the future (adaptation) and paying for disasters that can no longer be stopped (loss and damage).
The world struck a partial loss and damage deal at Cop27 in Egypt but Mr Eide was among those disappointed by meagre progress on emissions, arguing that if there is no more mitigation, the cost of the other two legs will only rise.
It means the world heads to Cop28 off track to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the world’s signature climate goal, beyond which scientists say the effects of flooding, heatwaves and other extreme weather would be much worse.
Mr Eide said it was positive to see a “real understanding that we need to move the whole mitigation agenda forward” when talks open at Dubai’s Expo City on November 30.
“We know that some parts of the world will put their main emphasis on mitigation,” he said. “Others will be reminding about the importance of financial support and some countries put a lot of emphasis on adaptation.
“We believe that a successful Cop requires genuine progress, moving forward, on all these issues.”
Speaking shortly after his promotion to the Foreign Ministry, where he is continuing in his Cop28 role, Mr Eide said:
- The UAE presidency is “very dedicated” to tackling key issues at Cop28
- The prospects of hitting 1.5°C are "better than they used to be" but global warming projections are "still significantly higher than they could be"
- “Most countries agree” on moving towards cleaner energy but there are differences of emphasis regarding renewables and fossil fuels
- Norway plans to keep exporting oil and gas while its European customers decarbonise
- His personal view is that the world will not reach its climate goals without using carbon capture to some degree
- The switch to electric vehicles has progressed so far in Norway that there is “hardly anybody left” who would buy a petrol or diesel model
Cop preparations
Mr Eide was asked by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and the President-designate of Cop28, to take informal soundings on mitigation in tandem with Singapore.
They will soon report back to a “pre-Cop” meeting in Abu Dhabi, with Mr Eide encouraged by an exchange of “substantive views” despite the “rather dramatic global circumstances” of conflict in Ukraine and Gaza.
“Most countries agree that we need to speak more seriously about the energy transition,” he said.
However, while “some countries will emphasise the new part – bringing in more renewables, more energy savings and more uses of green, renewable or otherwise non-emitting energies – some other countries want to be more explicit about the phase-down or phase-out of coal, oil and gas”.
The fossil fuel debate brought an acrimonious end to Cop26 in Glasgow, when India pushed through an amendment diluting a “phase-out” of coal to a “phase-down”.
A technical report prepared for Cop28, at which the world will carry out the first “global stocktake” of progress towards 1.5°C, suggests “phasing out all unabated fossil fuels” – a wording that is sure to provoke further discussion.
View from Norway
In his role as facilitator, Mr Eide expresses no view on these issues. But speaking with his Norwegian hat on, he says the world needs to rethink how it uses energy, moving beyond the “low-hanging fruit” of clean electricity into more challenging sectors such as steel production.
Norway, like the UAE, is an energy powerhouse that wants to remain one in the green age. It has a wealth fund worth $1.4 trillion from oil and gas revenue and is Europe’s leading gas supplier since ties were severed with Russia.
“Our view on this is that while Europe, which is our main market, decarbonises, they will still need some oil and especially gas,” said Mr Eide.
“We want to be part of that transition but we insist that it cannot only be a supply-side transition. It has to be demand-side as well, which means we have to change the way we use energy.”
Norway has abundant clean power from hydroelectric dams in its lakes and mountains, helping it motor ahead of its neighbours in the great electric car switch.
While the UK recently delayed its ban on petrol vehicles, in Norway there is “hardly anybody left who would buy a new fossil car”, Mr Eide said. While Norway does not use nuclear power, it supports other countries doing so.
The stocktake report is lukewarm on another climate change controversy, capturing carbon emissions to limit the damage from pollution. It calls carbon capture “an option” but says there are several challenges to resolve.
Mr Eide says his view is that “we will not be able to meet our climate targets without carbon capture”, but it should focus on sectors such as cement and waste where it is hard to use electricity.
“You can still say we should only use carbon capture and storage where you need to,” he said. “It’s not only a whether, but it’s also a what and how.”
UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
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Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
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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)
Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34
Match statistics
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 36 Bahrain 32
Harlequins
Tries: Penalty 2, Stevenson, Teasdale, Semple
Cons: Stevenson 2
Pens: Stevenson
Bahrain
Tries: Wallace 2, Heath, Evans, Behan
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Mobile phone packages comparison
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The UAE's journey to space
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
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.
