The UAE is hosting its annual big-ticket event, the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), a global initiative whose objective is to speed up sustainable development without sacrificing economic, social and environmental progress.
Now in its 15th year, the talks in the UAE capital this time around take on an added significance, as the country prepares to host Cop28, the UN climate change conference, later this year, taking the torch from Egypt. In the lead-up to Cop28 then, it is natural that a push for climate action – which, among other things, includes a more urgent transition to renewable energy – is firmly at the top of the country's national agenda.
Energy transition, the ultimate aim of which is a move to renewables, is one of the most critical components of climate mitigation. Today, it features more prominently in the global conversation around climate change, with more than 190 countries announcing their commitment to the 2015 climate pact – better known as the Paris Agreement – the main goal of which is to limit global warming to well below 2°C, and aim for 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels.
One would hope that this season of dialogues results in widespread consensus
The UAE has the advantage of being an early mover on renewable energy, having started work nearly two decades ago. On Saturday, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, President-designate of the Cop28 and the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, reaffirmed the country's support for the work being done by the International Renewable Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future.
Dr Al Jaber, who is also managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc and chairman of Masdar, said the Emirates has invested $50 billion in renewable energy, on six continents. “Over the next seven years, we will need to more than triple renewable generating capacity worldwide. The world must move much faster than ever before.”
In today’s environment, where there is indeed a need for a swifter and more concerted effort to address the climate crisis, multi-stakeholder climate talks also need to map out strategies on how to adapt to unexpected developments, whether they are conflicts, contagions or economic downturns. One would, therefore, hope that this season of dialogues – being held amid a host of challenges from the war in Ukraine to the possibility of a global recession – results in widespread consensus on the ways to speed up energy transition.
In the UAE, the installation of renewables over the next five years is set to account for more than 90 per cent of all global electricity capacity additions, Mohamed Al Ramahi, the chief executive of Masdar, wrote in The National, citing a recent report by the International Energy Agency. This echoes the words of US climate envoy John Kerry, who at an ADSW discussion, along with acknowledging a slow pace of change, called renewables "potentially the most exciting economic transformation".
Discussions such as the ones being held at this week’s ADSW in Abu Dhabi, and the World Economic Forum in Davos, are crucial for planet’s various stakeholders to progress towards an agreement on the bold changes required to address the climate crisis. Cop28 will be instrumental in getting to a transformative stage. If indeed these summits can get the ball rolling towards such a consensus, a major breakthrough will have been made in resolving humankind's greatest challenge.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
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Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
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