Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak is president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the leadership team of Cop28 UAE
October 30, 2023
This year is set to be the warmest on record. Land and ocean surface temperatures have broken records in what has been described as “uncharted territory”.
Extreme weather conditions and ecological degradation have affected people, livelihoods, biodiversity and economies globally.
With Cop28 around the corner, there is an obvious need to position nature as a central pillar for both climate mitigation and adaptation.
Approximately 30 per cent of human-caused carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are absorbed by land ecosystems and another 30 per cent is absorbed by oceans. The remaining portion stays in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change.
Nature plays a dual role: it mitigates climate extremes and helps communities adapt to them. For instance, preserving nature could provide for a third of the required climate mitigation by 2030, supporting the stabilisation of global warming.
Climate change is affecting nature in multiple ways.
The world’s soils store more carbon than vegetation and the atmosphere combined. When land is degraded, from deforestation and droughts to accelerated soil erosion, the carbon in the soil can be released into the atmosphere. This has made land degradation one of the largest contributors to climate change.
Restoration has to go beyond mere tree planting
Forests act as both a cause and a solution for greenhouse gas emissions. Around 25 per cent of global emissions come from the land sector, the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after the energy sector.
About half of these emissions come from deforestation and forest degradation. Forests also regulate ecosystems, protect biodiversity and mitigate emissions. Every year, forests soak 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. This accounts for one-third of CO2 emissions that result from the combustion of fossil fuels.
It is essential to recognise that Indigenous Peoples and local communities manage or have tenure rights over a substantial portion of the world’s forests. Forests under their stewardship are often more sustainably managed and effectively conserved, thereby acting as robust carbon sinks.
Ninety percent of global warming occurs in the ocean, leading to temperature changes, altered ocean currents and deoxygenation. Carbon emissions are increasing the acidity of the ocean, affecting marine life and ecosystems. Current levels are already too high for coral reefs to thrive, which directly affects food provision and flood protection.
Meanwhile, coastal ecosystems such as mangroves also play a crucial role in carbon storage and sequestration. Mangroves forests cover about 0.1 per cent of the planet’s surface but can store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests. Mangrove ecosystems also prevent more than $65 billion in property damages, and reduce flood risks for around 15 million people every year.
This is why the UAE is endorsing the Mangrove Breakthrough, as well as hosting the first ever Mangrove Ministerial at Cop28 – in support of the goal to secure the future of 15 million hectares of mangroves by 2030.
Climate change mitigation involves a diverse set of strategies and solutions. I strongly believe in the need to harness the power of nature through biological mitigation. Biological mitigation, a climate strategy, involves preserving and enhancing natural environments such as forests and wetlands, which are crucial carbon sinks.
A night sky and a forest illuminated with fireflies at Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. PA
A woman looks through debris in the aftermath of a military strike on a camp for displaced people near Laiza, Myanmar. AFP
Nobel Peace Prize awarded journalist Dmitry Muratov speaks to journalists at a courtroom in Moscow, Russia. AP
Buddhist monks play drums during morning prayers at Gyuto Monastery in Dharamsala. AFP
Russian armed forces take part in military drills at the Edelweiss training area in Balykchy. AFP
Fans of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan offer prayers at a temple on his 81st birthday in Kolkata. AFP
A dog sits near a house that was destroyed by an earthquake in Zenda Jan district, Herat province, Afghanistan. AP
Activists, some wearing traditional Sami costumes, protest along Karl Johans gate street, in Oslo. AP
Riot police officers stand guard as demonstrators block an avenue in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Reuters
UAE energy company Adnoc plants mangrove seedlings using drones in Abu Dhabi. Reuters
Nature-based solutions offer sustainable methods to combat climate change. Sustainable forest management not only keeps forests healthy for CO2 absorption but also safeguards overall biodiversity, including that of plants, fungi and trees.
In essence, this is about protecting living forests. Restoration is another key approach, but it's vital that it goes beyond mere tree planting. True restoration aims to enhance degraded forests and adheres to the framework of the International Union for Conservation of Nature called the Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions. This creates benefits such as revitalising wildlife habitats, capturing CO2, enhancing water quality and preventing soil erosion.
Such solutions empower local communities to adapt and mitigate to climate change. Coastal habitat protection, for example, provides natural flood barriers. Healthy wetlands and forests can bolster groundwater supplies, proving invaluable during droughts. Urban forests, meanwhile, can reduce city temperatures, countering the urban heat island effect. And coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves and coral reefs, help dissipate wave energy, thus reducing coastal flooding risks.
One of the key pillars of the Cop28 action plan is focusing on people, nature, lives and livelihoods. It calls for people and the planet to be at the heart of the climate process.
At Cop28, we will promote and platform initiatives that not only protect biodiversity and vital natural carbon sinks, but also champion those who are on the frontlines of conservation, adaptation, and resilience efforts. We want to bring attention to and tie in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30x30 goal to conserve 30 per cent of lands and seas by 2030 as a critical tool for climate action.
As we gear up for Cop28, it is crucial to recognise the invaluable role of nature from forest and soils to oceans and wetlands. We must align on both nature and climate action because failure to do so would be a missed opportunity and one we cannot afford.
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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 alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic
Power: 595bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh999,563
Company Profile
Name: Thndr Started: 2019 Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr Sector: FinTech Headquarters: Egypt UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi Current number of staff: More than 150 Funds raised: $22 million
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister. "We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know. “All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.” It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins. Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement. The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
