With the Cop27 climate summit having kicked off this week in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the global spotlight is on the Mena region. The summit offers a sobering reminder of the devastating effects of climate change on the region – and presents an opportunity for governments, businesses and society to come together to reduce emissions and increase resilience.
The Mena region is among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and in most need of urgent mitigation and adaptation efforts. The region is warming at twice the global average and has experienced increased drying over recent years due to a rise in greenhouse gases and desert warming amplification phenomenon, whereby drying soil prevents natural cooling. It is especially at risk of drought as climate change makes extreme weather events more frequent and more severe.
At the same time, rising sea levels could make coastal areas uninhabitable as well as salinise water in coastal aquifers and wells. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, water-related catastrophes are projected to reduce the region’s Gross Domestic Product by a staggering 14 per cent by 2050.
Not only do these effects risk destroying lives and livelihoods, but they could also cause increased water stress and food insecurity, resulting in rising socioeconomic inequality and unrest. With climate disasters rising faster in the Middle East and Central Asia than anywhere in the world, there’s a strong case for climate action to help populations adapt to the climate realities of today and prepare for future shocks.
If we fail to bequeath our children a liveable planet, it will matter less what we provide for them individually
Cop26 saw countries commit to the Glasgow Climate Pact to prevent the planet from heating more than 1.5°C and pledge to strengthen their emissions targets. Cop27 must advance that momentum.
While some countries in the region have made positive climate commitments to net zero – including the UAE and Oman by 2050 and Saudi Arabia by 2060 – the region as a whole must do more. That means bringing together governments alongside of businesses and civil society to ensure concrete commitments, systemic strategies and inclusive collaboration.
The private sector cannot turn a blind eye to its role in these efforts. Businesses, too, have a responsibility to help the region achieve net zero and improve its ability to prepare for and adapt to climate change shocks.
According to a new Bain analysis of 200 companies in the region, many companies, including Majid Al Futtaim, Adnoc and Etihad, Agility, Saudi Aramco, Acwa Power and Sabic, are taking actions to reduce emissions, increase renewable energy sources and scale low-carbon technologies. But there is still much more to be done.
According to the Bain research, only half of the companies surveyed have started Environmental, Social and Governance reporting. At the same time, only 12 per cent have announced their commitments to becoming net zero, and only 6 per cent have defined a roadmap to do so. The data also shows a lack of transparent and consistent disclosures policies, reduction roadmaps and science-based target setting.
There’s a strong business case for action, according to a new World Economic Forum analysis in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers. By acting now to increase resilience along their supply chains, businesses can minimise risks to their operations and capitalise on new opportunities. One estimate found that investing $1.8 trillion into adaptation efforts globally could generate $7.1tn in total net benefits by 2030.
The impact of climate change does not stop at national borders and will affect the entire region. As such, regional collaboration is crucial to mount an effective response to this generational challenge. In this context, WEF has helped form the “Leaders for a Sustainable Mena”, a community of government and business leaders with the ambition to working together to accelerate climate action across the region.
The members of this group will seek to do this through a dual approach: ramping up their emissions disclosures and net-zero commitments over the next two years and launching or scaling “lighthouse projects” to inspire and catalyse collaboration with their peers.
A belief that unites the region’s residents, from Tehran to Tangiers and from Aden to Adana, is a deep commitment to toiling and sacrificing to endow the next generation in the family with as much of an advantage as possible. If we are collectively failing to make sure we can bequeath our children a liveable planet, it will matter less what we provide for them individually.
Hosting consecutive Cop summits in the Mena region (in Egypt and the UAE) is a unique opportunity to ensure that we shoulder our responsibility towards the next generation.
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Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
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What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
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
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
