Grass roots-level companies will claim a space on the Cop28 stage in Dubai later this year when they discuss how climate change is affecting lives.
More than 20 start-ups will be chosen by Expo City Dubai to talk about how they work to improve lives and address the climate crisis.
The companies are among the 36 who were awarded $50,000 each as part of an Expo Live Innovation programme in which 1,200 entrepreneurs pitched energy transition projects.
They are not coming here to complain, they are here to say what we are doing actually works
Yousuf Caires,
head of Expo Live Innovation programme
Expo City Dubai, the venue for Cop28, is being divided into zones, where negotiations will take place. Spaces will open to the general public from November 30.
“Cop28 is a perfect place to give these organisations a microphone to talk about what is possible,” Yousuf Caires, executive director Expo Live Innovation at Expo City Dubai, told The National.
“These organisation are saying, ‘we have solutions, we need support.’”
The entrepreneurs will be part of workshops and discussions during the two week conference.
Carving out space for small green companies
The companies hail from countries such as South America and Australia, and are among the finalists awarded Expo Live funding to scale up technology solutions for farmers, fishing and food security projects.
Expo will pick the 20 companies based on if being at Cop28 will add value so they can explore partnerships and investment opportunities with organisations and countries looking for environmental solutions. The remaining companies who are in the early stages of development will have a virtual presence.
“They will have a chance to express the reality in their home country and discuss the challenges of overcoming this but in a positive way,” Mr Caires said.
“They are not coming here to complain.
“They are here to say what we are doing actually works, and if there is more support and belief in this grass roots movement, we can help contribute to solve the larger problem.”
The aim is to show how work done by small organisations to make solar energy accessible, recycle waste and restore the oceans can have big impact and deserves to be heard on platforms such as Cop28.
“We hope to help them tell their stories, get partnerships and meet climate funds,” Mr Caires said.
“It’s about them having the opportunity to shake the right hands, present their solution, their optimism and work to materialise partnerships.”
Big opportunities
For Bangladesh-based start-up Tetra, being picked to speak at Cop28 will open up the world.
“Being at Cop28 will give us government attention and the possibility of NGO collaboration,” Tetra co-founder Mubasshir Tahmid told The National.
“There is no other platform as big as Cop to give us the opportunity to talk about how the problem we are working on is not an isolated one.
“Our technology can have an impact in other countries as well.”
His team of engineers designed solar-powered desalination devices to provide safe drinking water for communities in Bangladesh.
Tetra was one of the companies that received funding from Expo Live Innovation.
People living in acute salinity affected Bangladesh coastal villages drink water that is high in salts. It often has a bad odour, carries diseases and lead to high blood pressure and kidney ailments.
The purification device can filter enough water for five families a day.
It costs 40,000 Bangladesh taka (Dh1,300/$360) and is usually purchased in monthly instalments shared by groups of villagers.
The company aims to set up a factory and distribution channel.
Another company based in Sierra Leone recycles plastic waste into products such as television antennae.
The antennae works as a low-cost satellite dish and gives families in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia access to information on television.
The company also devised roofing made from 100 per cent plastic waste.
“Plastics are a huge problem and it’s important to build more solutions,” said Mohammed Kamara, managing director of Freetown Innovation Lab.
“We want to impact more lives and give more hope to people.”
Both companies are among the 36 finalists awarded $50,000 in Expo funding this year.
Cop28 preparations
Cop28 will provide such organisations the platform to speak.
“They are subject matter experts,” Mr Caires said.
“They will come to Cop not just to pitch ideas but to also represent a reality that many of us don't understand about the impact on oceans, small islands and people.”
Themes to be discussed during the global event include technology and innovation, inclusion, frontline communities and finance, with topics including agriculture, oceans, food, health, energy, youth and children.
Plans are being drawn up to mark out the buildings and pavilions at Expo City Dubai for the Cop28 programmes.
Over the next month, the areas will be finalised and then handed over to the Cop28 team.
“There is a lot of excitement for the big event in November,” Mr Caires said.
“The blue zone, the green zone and all the physical attributes will become quite apparent.
“Over the next month we will begin to delineate where those zones will be and allow access for Cop28 to bring in the countries, partners and hand over the space so they can build their presence.”
Temporary or pop-up facilities will be set up based on the requirements of countries.
The blue zone will be open only to accredited participants such as non-government organisations, observers, UN officials and the media. It will include country pavilions and spaces for panel discussions and round table meetings.
The green zone will be open to delegates, guests, public and private sector and the general public.
More than 70,000 people will participate in the event that will involve more than 140 heads of state and government leaders.
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Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
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Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Pools
A – Dubai College, Deira International School, Al Ain Amblers, Warriors
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D – Dubai Exiles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, English College, Bahrain Colts
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2018 – Dubai College
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
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It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
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Sector: AI, software
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Key facilities
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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Friday Sassuolo v Benevento (Kick-off 11.45pm)
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Sunday Cagliari v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Atalanta v Fiorentina (6pm), Napoli v Sampdoria (6pm), Bologna v Roma (6pm), Genoa v Juventus (9pm), AC Milan v Parma (11.45pm)
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