As the global demand for freshwater surges, the risk of conflict over access to this vital resource is growing. At the Sustainable Water Security Conference in Abu Dhabi – hosted by Trends Research and Advisory – leading experts, policymakers and industry voices are calling for urgent, co-ordinated action to manage water supplies more sustainably.
With climate change, rapid population growth and poor resource management accelerating the crisis, the UN projects global water demand will increase by 20 to 30 per cent by 2050.
Already, droughts have risen by nearly a third since 2000, and more than two billion people remain without access to safe drinking water.
This week’s conference aimed to confront these challenges head-on and foster the global co-operation needed to ensure water security for future generations.
A man stands by a car partially submerged by floodwater in Al-Haswa suburb of Aden, Yemen, August 24, 2025. Reuters
As climate change leads to extreme weather and wildfires, it has never been more important to forecast what lies ahead so that at-risk areas can be evacuated and emergency services put into action effectively.
In August, parts of the Middle East suffered scorching temperatures because of a heat dome, while this year the EU recorded its worst wildfire season.
But are the climatic factors that drive these more severe conditions also making it harder to predict what will happen?
Dr Elsburgh 'Tres' Clarke, Animal Health Director of Sea World Abu Dhabi, operates on a cormorant with an injured wing. Victor Besa / The National
At Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue Centre, routine is a rarity. A single shift for the park's director of animal health and welfare, Dr Elsburgh Octavius Clarke III, known as Dr Tres, can feature snakes, sharks, sea turtles and the occasional medical puzzle that few centres are equipped to handle.
“I call my team the UN of our park,” he says. “Thirty-two specialists from 24 countries, all bringing their expertise to protect marine life.”
Open for less than three years, the centre on Yas Island has quickly become one of the region's largest hubs for marine rescue and rehabilitation.
The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average – a phenomenon known as “Arctic amplification”.
Jargon buster
Atmospheric rivers: These are long, narrow corridors of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere – often hundreds or thousands of kilometres long – that transport vast amounts of water vapour from the tropics to other regions.
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Moment of the day Sadeera Samarawickrama set pulses racing with his strokeplay on his introduction to Test cricket. It reached a feverish peak when he stepped down the wicket and launched Yasir Shah, who many regard as the world’s leading spinner, back over his head for six. No matter that he was out soon after: it felt as though the future had arrived.
Stat of the day - 5 The last time Sri Lanka played a Test in Dubai – they won here in 2013 – they had four players in their XI who were known as wicketkeepers. This time they have gone one better. Each of Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, and Niroshan Dickwella – the nominated gloveman here – can keep wicket.
The verdict Sri Lanka want to make history by becoming the first team to beat Pakistan in a full Test series in the UAE. They could not have made a better start, first by winning the toss, then by scoring freely on an easy-paced pitch. The fact Yasir Shah found some turn on Day 1, too, will have interested their own spin bowlers.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
