Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan is a social entrepreneur focused on sustainability, gender equality and international development
April 12, 2024
Over the past decade, we have seen the rise of new industries such as generative artificial intelligence, blockchain and autonomous vehicles. With this, we are finding that our communication needs to evolve to cater to the changes around us – and that requires new words.
The English language absorbs about 800-1,000 new words every year. Yet there are a number of fields that have not contributed enough to its burgeoning dictionaries.
Language also needs to be more accessible. According to the NeuroLeadership Institute, a survey conducted in America found that when corporate jargon is used, 33 per cent of upper management does not know what it means.
In recent years, sustainability has been a buzzword, but the concept itself incorporates hundreds of words and complex terminology that have been put forward by scientists. This naturally creates a disconnect.
Climate change language can sometimes feel as if it is reserved for experts in the field, which should not be the case. People need to be able to have conversations around such an important topic, particularly when it affects us all. Our planet was perfectly designed with interconnected ecosystems, each supporting the other. As humans, we need to understand these systems, and this is where communication plays an integral role.
How can we make sure that this language is accessible globally? One way is for people to understand the terminology in their own language.
We must be able to tell our story in the region in a culturally acceptable way
However, this also requires a considered effort, as allowing multiple languages to evolve naturally to encompass these concepts will simply take too long. Consider how quickly words related to sustainability are evolving as we better understand what is happening and find words to describe not only environmental phenomena but also social phenomena such as climate justice. Amid this climate emergency, we are expected to make the vocabulary around sustainability mainstream even as a number of languages could be struggling to keep up.
A high-voltage transmission tower in Niederaussem, Germany. Getty Images
We must be able to tell our story in the region in a culturally acceptable way. Despite the Arab world hosting two Cops, we are still behind in making their language more accessible for journalists. We recognised this at the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators, and we took the initiative to create a dynamic climate glossary as a toolkit for writers, journalists, or anyone who might be curious. The glossary offers definitions of the most commonly used Arabic and English words in the climate field.
Now we want our peers, subject-matter experts and members of our community to participate in growing this toolkit with their own submissions. It is only through our collective efforts that we will be able to adapt the way we communicate so that we may freely voice our challenges and collaborate in building solutions. This also allows us to preserve the wisdom of our ancestors, who were greatly connected to our land, for future generations.
I remember taking a linguistics course and realising the stark reality that 90 per cent of languages will disappear in the next hundred years. Lost languages mean lost cultures and traditions.
I find Robert Macfarlane’s book The Lost Words beautifully thought-provoking. Macfarlane points out that because children don’t spend enough time outdoors these days, words such as “ivy” and “otter”, as well as those of other flora and fauna, will soon disappear from the next generation’s vocabulary. Ensuring that our children can name our native plants and animals is imperative.
Youngsters from Portugal demonstrate outside the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday. AP
We must also involve the youth in being an active part of this linguistic evolution.
I recently came across an organisation called Climate Cardinals, which is translating climate-related documents beyond the UN’s six recognised languages. I am proud to see more than 8,000 youth globally volunteering for such an important cause, covering content in a hundred languages.
If we want people to get inspired to take climate action, we need to move away from the message of doom and gloom, which often leads to helplessness. Instead, I encourage people to connect through storytelling. Stories are moving, and they make it much easier to grasp the emotions and the “why”, than numbers or statistics can.
The Climate Tribe, a digital storytelling platform and community hub, was created for this very reason. Bringing together various media formats, from written stories to photography, films and podcasts, the idea was to make these stories as accessible as possible.
Our aim through this initiative is to bring to light the efforts of a number of people in the region and around the globe who are taking climate action within their communities. For this reason, the content on our Arabic platform is not simply a mirror of the English website and has been carefully curated to resonate with our region.
Let’s keep making climate more accessible and enjoyable, because nature is pure joy.
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Why seagrass matters
Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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.
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
