Live updates: Follow the latest news on Cop28
The oil and gas industry's pledge at the Cop28 climate conference to reduce methane emissions has been hailed as a positive step for climate action, but concerns loom large over its implementation amid calls for swifter measures.
On Saturday, 50 oil and gas companies, including Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil and Shell, signed the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter (OGDC), which calls for net-zero emissions by 2050 or before and near-zero upstream methane emissions by the end of the decade.
“It's an impressive achievement to bring together so many companies, including several national and US oil companies, which did not previously have net-zero goals,” Robin Mills, chief executive of Qamar Energy, told The National.
“It's essential that we now see rapid progress on the 2030 methane commitments.”
After carbon dioxide emissions, methane is the second-largest contributor to climate change, caused by humans. It is a greenhouse gas that warms up more than 80 times faster than carbon dioxide.
Reducing the international output of methane emissions is the most effective and least disruptive way to slow down the increase in global temperatures over the next few decades, climate experts say.
The oil and gas industry is estimated to account for up to a quarter of human-caused methane emissions.
Several environmental groups and think tanks have criticised the latest pledge from the fossil fuel industry for not going “far enough”.
“The OGDC is voluntary and doesn’t go anywhere near far enough in its scope by focusing on operations only,” said Helen Harwatt, senior research fellow in the environment and society centre at Chatham House.
“Also, having a goal for reducing emissions intensity doesn’t necessarily translate into an absolute emissions reduction if there isn’t a target for that too.”
Melanie Robinson, global climate programme director at the World Resources Institute, said it was “encouraging” to see some national oil companies set methane reduction targets for the first time.
“However, most global oil and gas companies already have stringent requirements to cut methane emissions. Strong measures to verify progress are crucial to holding oil and gas companies accountable,” Ms Robinson said.
On Saturday, a group of organisations, including Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Environmental Defence Fund, announced an initiative to track the progress of oil and gas companies in lowering emissions of the greenhouse gas.
The collaboration, which also includes the International Energy Agency, the UN Environment Programme and RMI, will provide data, policy and country-level engagement.
The announcement at Cop28 is the latest in a series of actions taken at a global level to slash methane emissions.
In 2021, more than 150 countries participated in the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to achieve a reduction of methane emissions by at least 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030.
Addressing the pledge, Angela Wilkinson, secretary general and chief executive of the World Energy Council, said: “Let’s recognise this commitment as necessary and avoid perfection being the enemy of the good.”
“The debates about ‘phase down versus phase out’ reflect extreme polarisation of 'us versus them'. It might provide great theatre and headlines … but it is a most unhelpful leadership situation,” Ms Wilkinson told The National.
“Want it or not, the world needs more energy for sustainable development for decades to come,” she said.
The Cop28 event is happening against the backdrop of two major geopolitical conflicts, an economic slowdown and rising inequality, all of which have raised concerns about energy security in many countries.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year knocked off a large part of Europe’s gas supplies, prompting many countries to secure long-term natural gas agreements with the US and the Gulf.
That resulted in higher natural gas prices, forcing many developing economies to increase their purchases of coal.
Meanwhile, the IEA expects global demand for oil and gas to peak by 2030 amid rising adoption of renewable energy technology and electric vehicles.
In a report last month, the agency said that with geopolitical instability and rising demand, some investment in the production of fossil fuels would be needed to ensure the security of energy supply.
“Prefer it or not, renewables need other clean energy and material friends to scale. Like it or not, not all energy needs and uses can be electrified,” Ms Wilkinson said.
Cutting oil and gas emissions from supply and use “as quickly as possibly” is essential, and it means putting in place more carbon capture solutions and transforming end uses and behaviours, she added.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
