Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, unveils the food systems and agriculture agenda. Photo: Cop28
Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, unveils the food systems and agriculture agenda. Photo: Cop28
Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, unveils the food systems and agriculture agenda. Photo: Cop28
Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, unveils the food systems and agriculture agenda. Photo: Cop28

Cop28 to place food and agriculture at centre of fight against climate change


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The Cop28 presidency has said agriculture and food production will take centre stage at the climate summit later this year.

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister for Climate Change and Environment, on Monday unveiled the “food systems and agriculture agenda” for the crucial talks that aim to tackle the issue in four ways: galvanising national leadership; involving non-state actors; boosting innovation; and scaling up finance.

Launched at the UN Food Systems Summit in Rome, Ms Al Mheiri said it was the “strongest push ever given to food systems and agriculture in the Cop process”.

Ms Al Mheiri also called on governments to sign the first “leaders' declaration on food systems, agriculture and climate action”.

The declaration asks governments to put the agenda at the heart of plans to tackle climate change, embedding proposals with pledges to reduce emissions – known as nationally determined contributions – as well as in their biodiversity strategies and adaptation plans.

The launch came on the same day that UN chief Antonio Guterres told the summit global food systems were “broken” and a transformation was needed in how the world produces and consumes food. “Billions of people are paying the price,” he said.

Under the four pillars set out by Ms Al Mheiri, Cop28 will call for governments across the world to step up action on food systems and, secondly, work with non-state actors – businesses, cities, financial institutions, civil society, non-government organisations, indigenous people, academia and all other sections of society – to find solutions.

Thirdly, there will be a call for much more innovation in areas of adaptation (dealing with the effects of climate change) and mitigation (cutting emissions), while fourthly, governments will be urged to scale up finance to help fund the changes.

“The Cop28 presidency’s commitment to prioritising food systems demonstrates a dedication to address pressing global challenges,” said Ms Al Mheiri, also the Cop28 food systems lead.

“By mobilising national leadership, engaging non-state actors, scaling innovation and securing financing, Cop28 aims to drive transformative change to secure a sustainable future for all.”

Adapting to climate change

Deforestation for agriculture can contribute to climate change, scientists say. AP
Deforestation for agriculture can contribute to climate change, scientists say. AP

Unsustainable food production, packaging and consumption account for about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, 70 per cent of the world’s freshwater usage and drives biodiversity loss, the UN has said.

Switching to renewable energy and adapting to climate change, such as using heat-tolerant crops and more efficient use of water, have been part of the solution and Ms Al Mheiri said it was important to increase the resilience of climate-vulnerable farmers and reduce food system-related emissions.

The Cop28 presidency also said it would unite businesses, farmer and producer organisations and other non-state actors to drive progress. This partnership will work with more than 15 leading chief executives and involve actors across each stage of the agriculture process from production to consumption and finance.

As part of this collaboration, an initiative was launched to promote the widespread adoption of regenerative agriculture in large food landscapes underpinned by procurement and investment commitments.

This drive will be co-chaired with the UN Climate Change High Level Champions; the World Business Council for Sustainable Development; and Boston Consulting Group.

During Cop28, one of the thematic days will be dedicated to food, agriculture and water to galvanise action.

Action on the issue has been building. At Cop26, the UAE and the US launched the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate). The fund aims to help prepare the agricultural sector for climate change. Billions of dollars in investment has been pledged so far by countries across the globe.

Cop27 in Egypt last year featured the first food systems pavilion and a thematic day dedicated to agriculture.

The UAE Cop28 team, meanwhile, has also been revealing more of its vision for the summit that takes place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12.

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Cop28 President-designate, on July 13 said the summit would be based on four pillars – fast-tracking the energy transition, fixing climate finance, focusing on people and making inclusivity a hallmark.

He also said limiting global warming to 1.5°C was the “north star” of his plan for Cop28.

It comes after the UAE raised its own target for emissions cuts to 40 per cent this decade, up from 31 per cent.

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Fight card

Preliminaries:

Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)

Main card:

Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)

Title card:

Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)

Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)

Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)

What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.

There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.

Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.

People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.

There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.

The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.

 

Results

Stage seven

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s

3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s

General Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s

3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s

CHELSEA SQUAD

Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku. 

The bio

Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales

Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow

Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades

Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus

Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga

Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez

SPEC SHEET

Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass

CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU

Memory: 4GB

Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD

Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio

Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video

Platform: Android 11

Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics

Durability: IP52

Biometrics: Face unlock

Price: Dh849

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO

Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday 

Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)

AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)

Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)

Sunday

Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)

Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)

Roma v Brescia (6pm)

Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)

Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)

Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)

Monday

SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)

Race card

6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m

7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m

8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m

8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m

9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m

New schools in Dubai
2019 Asian Cup final

Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

The biog:

Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian 

Favourite food: Pizza 

Best food on the road: rice

Favourite colour: silver 

Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda

Favourite biking destination: Canada 

Results

2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m

Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).

2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m

Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m

Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m

Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m

Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.

4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m

Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.

5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m

Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

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Updated: July 25, 2023, 8:17 AM`