With all the talk of carbon footprints, another, less-discussed issue of critical importance in the drive to sustainability, particularly in the Middle East, is that of water footprints. A water footprint is a measure of how much water is used within the entire supply chain – be it of a product, an individual, a household, country or even an entire region.
A surprising amount of water goes into making many goods. Most people never think about water when they look at cheese, potatoes, and wheat, but a lot is used in producing such things.
And each footprint contains different categories of water used – known as green, blue and grey. Green water is water from rains, dew, and fogs that stays in the land, plants and trees. Blue water is the water found in lakes, ponds, rivers and underground aquifers. And grey water is wastewater from households, industry, and commerce.
A 125 millilitre cup of coffee’s water footprint is about 132 litres, given the water that went into the growing, cleaning, processing and other activities along its supply chain. One kilogram of beef uses about 1545l of water through its supply chain. Whereas coffee is made almost exclusively with green water, beef contains mostly green water with some blue and little grey. Rice uses about 2497l of water per kg, with most of the water still being green, but a considerable amount of blue and small amount of grey.
When we take stock of a product's entire water footprint – all of the water used to make it or embedded within the product itself, without distinguishing between the categories of water involved – we are talking about the "virtual water" contained in that product. And that is a useful concept not only to consider our own water usage and waste, but also how we trade water with one another to meet our needs.
Countries in the Middle East tend to be water-scarce; the people who live in them need far more water than their countries produce – not only for drinking and sanitation, but to grow and manufacturer things they need. So, when they import things, they are importing by proxy the water they would have needed to make those things – the "virtual water". However, when one buys a bag of imported rice, does the bag have its virtual water content on it? No.
A 125 ml cup of coffee’s water footprint is about 132 l
The amount of water traded virtually through the imports and exports so far this year alone could be well over 1.4 trillion tons. Clearly, this is an important trade to understand better.
The focus is not just on the virtual water coming in, but that going out, too. There are increasing concerns in India, for example, about the country's virtual water exports, which were estimated to be 26 trillion litres a year recently. There are increasing concerns in the US state of Arizona about the water from that increasingly water-stressed state that is being used to export livestock feed to Saudi Arabia. These are just two of many places that are worried about the virtual export of their water. Because of population growth, climate change, droughts and their own overuse of their water, many more places are concerned about virtual water trade, even if they do not use that term.
On the other side of the virtual water trade are places like some Gulf countries, which currently must import over 85 per cent of their food. According to PWC, a global accounting firm, nearly all rice is imported, as is 93 per cent of cereals, 62 per cent of meat and 56 per cent of vegetables. That level of virtual water demand must factor into the regional conversation on sustainability, including food self-sufficiency and food security.
In fact, that is already happening. Companies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are investigating ways to grow saline crops or use seawater for greenhouses. The International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture in Dubai is also looking into such issues. And there is a greater focus on using wastewater more efficiently, and reducing water use and food waste. The latter is one of the best ways to reduce reliance on virtual water trade. Stockpiling food and new and creative agricultural methods are also important.
For some time to come, however, countries in the region will have to continue to rely on virtual water trade in food and other products to make up for what they cannot do with their natural water or land resources. The GCC states know about these issues surrounding water and food security and are working on them. Focusing on the circular economy “Rs” (reduce, reuse and recycle) really does go a long way to improving water and food security in the region. Understanding water footprints and virtual water trade could help boost the awareness needed to ingrain these practices into the wider public. But it can also help policymakers plan to secure the water their societies need – be it the kind that flows through the tap, or the kind that just exists virtually.
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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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
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
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Dir: Guy Nattiv
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Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
