The need to tackle the looming climate catastrophe was once a fringe topic in Davos, where the world's elites flock to talk about wealth creation.
Not any longer.
The urgent need for virtually every section of global society to act – not least governments and industry, who are out in force at the World Economic Forum – has been firmly on the agenda this week.
John Kerry, US envoy for climate change, said that for 28 years of Cop climate summits “every nation had to make up its own plan – not exactly the most effective thing”.
Cop28 demonstrated that multilateralism can still deliver historic results, however, it must work for all regions and peoples of the world - not just some
Badr Jafar,
Cop28 special representative
“In Dubai, we were able to change that paradigm to some degree, with one critical paragraph. That paragraph was that we must transition away from fossil fuels,” he said, referring to the deal reached at December's climate summit in the UAE.
The agreement to fight to keep global warming within 1.5ºC, to phase down fossil fuels over 30 years, and to radically cut emissions by 2030 were pledges that were unachievable in previous summits, he told a packed auditorium.
“When you add all that together, folks, and 195 countries have signed off on this – that is a profound, important paradigm shift.
“Everybody is working to a stronger guardrail, if you will, which is that we must achieve by 2030 the 45 per cent minimum reduction [in emissions] globally and do other things.”
Speaking at a separate session, he struck an optimistic note: “We are in better shape to take this issue to where it needs to go than we have ever been.”
Watch: John Kerry speaks to CNN Business Arabic in Davos
Reaching net zero is no easy feat. It will require an estimated $3 trillion of investment – every year – to cut emissions, reverse nature loss and restore biodiversity to Earth.
If developing nations are left behind, then the goal fails.
“Cop28 demonstrated that multilateralism can still deliver historic results. However, it must work for all regions and peoples of the world, not just some,” said Badr Jafar, Cop28's special representative for business & philanthropy and chief executive of the oil and energy company Crescent Enterprises.
“Which is why the central theme put forward by the Cop28 Presidency was that the process must leave no one behind.”
There were no easy solutions in Davos this week.
Governments and private enterprises alike must look hard at how they channel enormous amounts of money into renewables, how to clean up polluting industries, and how they create a green workforce of the future, as jobs linked to traditional industries decline.
Financing and faultlines
Although 195 countries backed the UAE Consensus, as it was known, the summit ended with critical issues deferred to Cop29 in Baku.
These include how rich countries help poor countries pay to invest in renewables, known as the Just Transition, and helping them to set up physical defences to cope with rising sea levels and extreme weather, known as Adaptation.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, told a session that the climate change checklist has to be at the front of the minds of those in government.
“There are five conditions to consider Cop28 to be successful. Number one, we should get an outcome that the countries pledge to triple their renewable capacity,” he said.
“Number two, doubling the rate of energy efficiency. Number three, agreeing to have a major cut of methane emissions. Number four, countries should give a signal of an orderly move away from fossil fuels. And number, five, providing financial support for clean energy transition in emerging and developing countries. Five of them.
“I see that many of them have now been reflected in the outcome text for which we are really delighted.
“There are of course other areas, one area especially, which are not there, and in my view it is a fault line in our fight against climate change, which is the financing issue. How do we finance clean energy transition in emerging and developing countries is the fault line.”
In Davos this week, conversations also turned to what the technology industry must do to manage the enormous amounts of renewable energy that will be generated.
Sun, wind and sea
Harnessing the power of the wind, the Sun and the sea is all good and well. But if you cannot properly store the energy in super-advanced batteries, we have a problem.
Catherine MacGregor, chief executive of Engie, a low-carbon energy services company, said this was the focus of her industry.
She said the outcome of Cop28 was “really exciting” after years of Cops that had been “faltering” – but now the hard work begins.
“A lot more needs to happen, particularly around what we like to call flexibility – means to store energy at large scale: a very important component,” she said.
“You cannot just rely on sun or wind, you have to be able to store this energy when there is too much of it.”
Critical to climate change action is big businesses investing in clean industries of the future.
Ahmed Al Calily, chief strategy and risk officer at Mubadala Investment Company in Abu Dhabi, told The National that governments and companies must put net-zero principles, responsible investing and a clean future at the heart of their strategies.
“Cop28 is done, but the important part is that we keep to our promises, as nations, as companies,” he said in Davos.
“Everyone has a part to play. We've all made commitments – binding commitments to achieve net zero, 1.5ºC. The next step is how to stick to those commitments and make it happen.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
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The biog:
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian
Favourite food: Pizza
Best food on the road: rice
Favourite colour: silver
Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda
Favourite biking destination: Canada
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
'Jurassic%20World%20Dominion'
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFirst%20match%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2020%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%2016%20round%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%203%20to%206%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-finals%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%209%20and%2010%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-finals%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%2013%20and%2014%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%2018%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Company%20profile
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THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
