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
November 20, 2023
Over the past four years, we’ve seen global warming intensify, with record-breaking temperatures on land and sea. These changes intensify natural disasters and climate impacts, especially on already vulnerable communities, ecosystems and livelihoods.
Against this bleak background, Cop28 must be a beacon of hope. We are putting a strong emphasis on nature-based solutions involving forests, land and oceans. These natural assets not only help mitigate climate change but also bolster communities’ ability to adapt to a warming world.
Nature provides us with the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and many of the materials we need for our production and consumption. It is fundamental to meeting climate targets under the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There is no pathway to a thriving economy, a healthy environment, or an inclusive, prosperous society without shifting capital away from activities that destroy natural ecosystems into nature-based solutions.
Nature-based solutions offer a powerful dual approach to the climate crisis, serving both as mitigators and adaptors. Specifically, they encompass strategies related to forests, soils and oceans.
These strategies include halting deforestation and promoting sustainable agriculture, all of which not only cut down greenhouse gas emissions but also increase carbon capture. Coastal ecosystems, like mangroves and seagrasses, are invaluable for storing blue carbon, making a substantial contribution to carbon capture. Simultaneously, these ecosystems help communities build resilience against the impacts of climate change, offering a comprehensive solution to a complex problem.
Nature-based solutions offer a powerful dual approach to the climate crisis, serving both as mitigators and adaptors
Deforestation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, generating roughly 25 per cent of global emissions, according to the UN Environment Programme. However, sustainable forest management could meet more than a third of the climate goals set for 2030 in the Paris Agreement.
Nature-based solutions focus on landscape restoration and agroforestry to rehabilitate lands and support local communities. Financial institutions are also key players. Initiatives like the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero urge these organisations to eliminate deforestation from their portfolios by 2025. Meanwhile, the Finance Sector Deforestation Action initiative, managing over $9.5 trillion, targets nature-positive portfolios. Combining these strategies makes forests central to a comprehensive, effective climate action plan.
Healthy soil is Earth's most significant terrestrial carbon storehouse, holding more carbon than all living organisms and the atmosphere combined. A mere 1 per cent rise in topsoil carbon could offset a year's worth of global carbon dioxide emissions. However, land degradation from overgrazing and extreme weather releases this stored carbon, contributing substantially to climate change.
Since the 19th century, two thirds of terrestrial carbon have been lost due to land misuse. Sustainable and climate-smart agriculture offers a remedy. Practices like conservation tillage, crop rotation, and no-till farming enhance soil health and carbon storage while mitigating erosion. Such soils are better equipped for climate adaptation — they can absorb more water, reducing flood risks, and sustain crops during droughts. A healthy soil ecosystem also helps control pests and diseases. Combining these methods in a nature-based solution strategy can significantly curb carbon emissions and foster climate resilience.
Coastal ecosystems like mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows are pivotal carbon sinks, storing blue carbon over centuries. These ecosystems handle 80 per cent of the global carbon cycle while making up less than 2 per cent of ocean area. However, human activities are threatening their carbon storage capacity and triggering carbon dioxide emissions. These ecosystems also offer natural protection against storms and rising sea levels.
Initiatives like the Mangrove Breakthrough aim to protect and restore 15 million hectares of mangroves by 2030. Despite their importance, mangroves receive only about 1 per cent of climate finance. To bridge this gap, financial strategies and new funding methods are in the works. The initiative works with global alliances and countries like the UAE, which plans to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030. These case studies can guide global policies for climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation.
As we convene for Cop28, it is crucial to recognise the invaluable role nature plays in both mitigating and adapting to climate change. From forests and soils to coastal wetlands, natural systems not only absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide but also enable communities to adapt to and enhance their resilience to climatic extremes. The time for action is now; Cop28 provides an unmissable opportunity to make nature a central pillar in global climate action. Ignoring this avenue is a risk we cannot afford to take.
As the UN High-Level Climate Champion for Cop28, I am calling on non-party stakeholders from businesses and financial institutions to cities, regions and civil society to put nature at the heart of climate action and urge you to integrate nature into your climate transition plans. Commit to nature-based solutions – people and our planet’s future depend on it.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11 What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time. TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities. Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids. Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
Riders must be 14-years-old or over
Wear a protective helmet
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
Who has won what so far in the West Asia rugby season?
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
Fixtures
Friday
West Asia Cup final
5pm, Bahrain (6pm UAE time), Bahrain v Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy final
3pm, The Sevens, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Sports City Eagles
Friday, April 13
UAE Premiership final
5pm, Al Ain, Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The Internet
Hive Mind
four stars
MATCH INFO
Group B
Bayern Munich v Tottenham, midnight (Thursday)
FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
