A huge sphere hanging from the roof sits at the heart of the Glasgow venue for Cop26, the latest round of the UN negotiations to keep global warming to just 1.5°C above the pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
It is a giant bulb of Mother Earth hovering over the delegates, designed to inspire as the two weeks of intense negotiations play out in the Scottish city. The sphere invokes the Overview Effect, which describes the inspiration that grips astronauts when they view the planet from space for the first time, as a fragile ball that ought to be protected.
The UN climate change process has now been going on for more than a quarter of a century. It has certain structural priorities that have driven progress in that time. The search for justice between the Global North and the Global South as climate solutions are rolled out is, for example, a predominant concern for many of the thousands of delegates.
In Glasgow, efforts to reach the 1.5°C target is led by the process of countries setting target dates to declare that their economies can reach net-zero carbon status. Beyond that, it is clear the UN process is capturing more and more of the forces around climate change.
Finance has powered ahead to make ambitious declarations. Businesses seek a place at a table that is the preserve of diplomats. Health and resilience demand a place in the deliberations. Education and culture can channel the coming changes.
The approach taken by the UK, host of the summit, has benefited from more and more countries setting a target date. That work is bending the trajectory of the rising temperatures. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has provided a useful chart that shows that the announcements leading up to and in Glasgow have pushed the projected temperature rise down to 1.8°C above the historic level.
The UN process is capturing more and more of the forces around climate change
The IEA report indicates that the gap can be closed further, even if the negotiators cannot claim to have eliminated it when Cop26 wraps up on November 12. It recommends a surge in clean electrification, better efforts to exploit energy efficiency, bearing down on methane emissions and enhanced energy innovation.
The IEA cites progress in electric cars, which use 70 per cent less energy to travel one kilometre than conventional automobiles. It also sets out the need for rapid decarbonisation of the electricity sector. This, it says, requires a significant surge in the deployment of low emissions generation technology.
To get there would mean to significantly increase the use of renewables. One of the big announcements, made by the UAE last week, was that of a new platform to boost investment in renewables in less developed countries.
The share of renewables in the national plans translates into a gain from 30 per cent of global capacity to 45 per cent. The IEA says a further bumping up, to 60 per cent, will be required for the international community to meet the net-zero targets that have been announced.
To circle back to the Overview Effect, it is clear that Cop26 and its predecessors have driven progress. There is much more happening in sight.
One of the headline-catching announcements last week was the establishment of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net-Zero, chaired by Michael Bloomberg, the businessman and former New York City mayor, and Mark Carney, the former Bank of England governor. This alliance brings together financial institutions that command assets of £130 trillion (almost $176tn).
Not all of those resources will go into fighting climate change. It is a fair bet, however, that increased sums from these firms are going to benefit the fight. When Egypt and, in all likelihood, the UAE host the Cop process in 2022 and 2023, there are plenty of foundations to be built on coming out of Glasgow.
Already the UN Climate Change Secretariat has reduced its estimate of the increase in global carbon emissions by 2030 to 13.7 per cent, down from the 16 per cent that grabbed the headlines a few weeks ago.
Adair Turner, the chairman of the UK’s Energy Transitions Commission, has said the commitments announced last week deliver 40 per cent of the cuts needed to meet the target. There are more announcements on the way in steel, aviation and shipping.
In a nutshell, the growth of Cop process is gathering momentum to address climate change from many different places. That can only be a good thing.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
JERSEY INFO
Red Jersey
General Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the leader of the General Classification by time.
Green Jersey
Points Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the fastest sprinter, who has obtained the best positions in each stage and intermediate sprints.
White Jersey
Young Rider Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the best young rider born after January 1, 1995 in the overall classification by time (U25).
Black Jersey
Intermediate Sprint Classification: worn daily, starting from Stage 2, by the rider who has gained the most Intermediate Sprint Points.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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
