Insight and opinion from The National’s editorial leadership
November 12, 2021
Climate change is coming fast to the Middle East, but so is the desire to do something about it.
At this year's Cop26, the world saw the many different ways the region's countries are joining the conversation. And now, the Middle East is showing it wants to not just be part of the solution, but a home for it, too. The latest example came on Thursday, when it was announced that the UAE will host Cop28, scheduled to be held in 2023.
The UAE's leaders congratulated the country for winning the bid to host the "most important" of meetings.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted after the announcement that the UAE would put everything towards making Cop28 a success.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, said the UAE looked forward "to working with the international community to accelerate global efforts to address climate change and environmental protection and create a more sustainable economic future”.
After the decision, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, offered a reminder that it was Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father of the UAE, who has inspired "us as we strive to safeguard the well-being of present and future generations".
"Cop28 in 2023 will and must be a ‘solutions Cop’ – and I am confident that the rich experience of this young, inclusive nation in advancing practical, viable and shareable solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges will again come to the fore as we host the world for the UN Climate Change Conference in two years’ time," he said, according to Wam.
"The UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, announced earlier this year, shows our own unwavering commitment to promoting climate action. Further, through new investment commitments and partnerships, we are illustrating our determination to support the world in addressing climate change."
Choosing the UAE to host Cop28 is also another huge moment for the environmental movement in the region, which will follow in the footsteps of Cop27, to be held in Egypt.
Having back-to-back conferences in the Middle East and North Africa is a sign of how the event is changing. Its early years were confined to Europe, when the foresight of countries such as Germany spotted the need for it as far back as the 1990s. But, as the global significance of the issue at hand becomes clear, Cop has been held all over the world. Now, it is very much in its Middle Eastern phase.
And that has much to offer the world. In the most basic sense, the region is an early example of the dangers ahead. It is the most water-stressed part of the planet, with a rising temperature double the global average. This burden will be borne by some of the most fragile societies, made up of people who often have known few of the highly polluting luxuries for which the developed world is largely responsible.
But reconfiguring this conversation is not just about the UAE's efforts; the successful bid would not have been possible without the backing a number of other countries, including all member states of the UN's Asia-Pacific Group and the Arab League. It is this ability to rally global support that will also make Cop28 one to watch. At this year's meeting, the atmosphere between the world's biggest emitters has not been easy, something that may stop the event reaching its full potential. Agreement may become easier as the conversation shifts to new geographies.
And Cop is not just about getting governments on board, but industry, too. Earlier this month, The National spoke to Claire O'Neill, managing director of climate and energy for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Discussing the prospect of upcoming conferences in the Middle East, Ms O'Neill said: “I think the next Cop cycle will be a new chance to amplify those of the world's most sustainable businesses who are committed to net zero by 2050, nature positive and committed to reducing inequality and total transparency in reporting.”
Agreement may become easier as the conversation shifts to new geographies
A hub for international business, the UAE would also be a particularly strong location for major industries to discuss how they might contribute to fighting climate change outside western contexts. After all, a corporate sustainability strategy that works in the US or Scandinavia might well not work in the Middle East or the rest of the world. We are already seeing this mixing of expertise at work at Expo 2020 Dubai, where a number of countries and companies from all over the world are providing sustainable engineering for the UAE's desert location.
As part of its commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the UAE recently announced it has stepped up its plans to plant mangroves, and now aims to plant 100 million by 2030. After Thursday's announcement on Cop28, the UAE will help plant the seeds for a new regional culture of environmentalism, too.
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.
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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.
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
