President Sheikh Mohamed marked the 27th National Environment Day on Sunday by declaring that the UAE's Year of Sustainability will continue throughout 2024.
The UAE leader said the decision underlined the country's efforts to “protect and preserve the environment for the benefit of future generations”.
Sheikh Mohamed announced the themed Year of Sustainability on January 20 last year.
It proved to be a pivotal 12 months in an international drive to protect the planet and turn back the tide on the climate change crisis.
The UAE successfully hosted the Cop28 climate conference from November 30 to December 12, in which crucial progress was made in developing an action plan for a greener future.
“On the occasion of National Environment Day, we announce that the Year of Sustainability is extended into 2024, reflecting our ongoing collective commitment to protect and preserve the environment for the benefit of future generations,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X.
“Building on the UAE Consensus achieved at Cop28, we will continue to work hand in hand with the global community to pursue a more sustainable future for all.”
The world came together at the summit to sign up for the UAE Consensus, which called for nations to start cutting back on fossil fuels to achieve net-zero goals by 2050.
The agreement was adopted after about two weeks of talks and built on early success that gave the summit initial momentum, such as the launch of the loss and damage fund on November 30, and the galvanising of more than $80 billion in climate finance.
UAE on road to sustainability
In 2021, the UAE unveiled its Net Zero 2050 Strategic Initiative, a Dh600 billion ($163.37 billion) plan to invest in clean and renewable energy sources over the next three decades.
It was the first Gulf country to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050.
The Emirates is also investing heavily in the transition to clean energy through several major infrastructure projects.
The fourth and final unit of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant completed the process of loading fuel assemblies in December.
The next step for the reactor unit will be the start-up phase, followed by connection to the national grid. and the commencement of full commercial operations.
Once ready, Unit 4 will generate 25 per cent of the country’s electricity needs for the next 60 years, according to state news agency Wam.
In December, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the world's largest concentrated solar park project in Dubai.
The project is part of the Dh15.78 billion fourth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which covers an area of 44 square kilometres and has a capacity of 950 megawatts.
The fourth phase will provide about 320,000 houses with clean energy and reduce carbon emissions by about 1.6 million tonnes annually.
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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
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
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
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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:
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
