ABU DHABI // If people living in the UAE do not make changes to their carbon-intensive lifestyles, their children may face a dark future, one of the world's leading figures on climate change warned yesterday.
"A child of five or 10 now, if we go on business as usual, is likely to live to see the kind of very, very difficult circumstances we are talking about," said Lord Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Scientists warn that if humanity continues to burn large amounts of fossil fuels, global temperatures will rise and trigger catastrophic changes to weather patterns and sea levels.
Lord Stern was responding to the results of a survey The National commissioned from YouGov, the international research organisation, to coincide with the World Future Energy Summit. It showed almost three fifths of residents would be reluctant to pay higher prices for electricity and petrol to help combat climate change.
Lord Stern, who in 2006 authored the most comprehensive report on the economics of the issue, said he was not surprised by the results, based on attitudes in other parts of the world.
"It is not only here that people are resistant to prices going up," he said. "The only way we can have a good discussion is if we lay out what the consequences are of carrying on the way we have been carrying on, and to ask people to imagine the lives of their children."
If current trends remain unaltered, humanity faces a "50-50 chance" of global warming exceeding 5°C. "We have not been there as a planet for 30 million years," he said.
Should this happen, millions of people will be displaced by droughts and rising seas, leading to "severe extended conflict".
"The cost of doing nothing is really very high indeed," he said. "It is almost too high to express economically."
The YouGov survey showed that while overall awareness of climate change was high, UAE nationals were less aware of the issue and its potentially serious consequences. Nationals were also least in favour of raising prices to try and reduce energy consumption.
Seventy-three per cent of Emiratis opposed any increase in the price of petrol, while 74 per cent opposed a hike in electricity prices.
Lord Stern advised residents to adopt the views of Sheikh Zayed, the late founder of the nation, who supported a range of environmental initiatives in confronting the threat to the climate.
"I think Sheikh Zayed was a visionary on this," Lord Stern said. "He saw very clearly the balance between humans and the way they live and the environment, how important that is."
Dr Rima al Sabban, an assistant professor of sociology at Zayed University, said the Government could do more by launching programmes aimed at improving environmental awareness in schools.
"I agree, there's a lack of concern," she said. "The lack of concern stems from education, because environmental awareness does not just come by itself.
"In the West, they start teaching little kids about the environment and they've been doing it for 20 years. Now they have many generations of people who are aware of environmental issues. Here the environmental [awareness] has just started, but it's not really socially embedded."
Media should also play a larger role, she said. "I think we need to start educating aggressively. Papers are doing OK in terms of these campaigns, but Arabic newspapers are lagging behind."
The YouGov survey indicated that opposition to taxes on energy was widespread across all demographic groups.
Only 32 per cent of those surveyed approved of a tax on cars with standard engines over a certain size, with Westerners (47 per cent) most enthusiastic and Emiratis (14 per cent) least so.
The survey proceeded to show decreasing support for a range of measures, including taxes on air-conditioning in commercial premises (21 per cent) and on petrol and commercial use of water (both 16 per cent). Less than 10 per cent supported taxing all flights leaving the country, as well as domestic water and electricity supplies.
The survey of 799 respondents was conducted online during and after the 11-day United Nations' conference on climate change in Copenhagen in December.
The National, with additional reporting by Daniel Bardsley
The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
RESULTS
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More on Quran memorisation:
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
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The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Electoral College Victory
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.
more from Janine di Giovanni
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
