Even before Cop28 made its way to our shores, I have been trying to lead a more sustainable lifestyle – yet I often find myself confused as to how to personally approach the climate crisis.
Now that the conference has drawn to a close – and offered so many valuable insights – I am determined to revisit the way I live (and shop), and re-examine why it is that I often struggle to put my best eco-friendly foot forward.
Here are three issues I face.
1. Being eco-friendly can be an expensive proposition
Having to pay double the price for sustainable products is not a lifestyle I can adapt to in my 20s, and it frustrates me.
I am happy to be proved wrong, but I believe sustainable products fit better into a luxury-lifestyle mould rather than a practical one accessible to the majority.
The cost of saving the environment often feels high, while the price of damaging it is low.
As the World Bank statistics reviewed, as of 2022 middle income countries were home to 75 per cent of the world’s population and 62 per cent of those below the poverty line. This puts the middle and lower class at the forefront of the crisis solution as they make up more than half the population.
Personally speaking, as a pescatarian trying to maintain a sustainable lifestyle comes at a cost, as opting for ethically sourced seafood and organic produce often means a much higher grocery bill.
A pound of wild-caught salmon can range from $15 to $20, which is nearly double the price of conventionally farmed options. Same goes for eggs, chicken and even organic fruit and veg.
The climate effect of fashion, too, is much talked about. And while I am appalled to know the effects of fast fashion, I can’t help but turn to the high street when I need (or, admittedly, want) to wear something new.
Would a jacket from Louis Vuitton last me longer than one from Next, and so make the investment worthwhile in the end – both to planet and pocket? Absolutely.
Can I justify dropping Dh5,000 on an LV jacket at the moment? Absolutely not.
2. Being sustainable can be a sheer inconvenience
Grocery shop visits confound me the most. Having to find a substitute to products that are not wrapped in plastic feels nearly impossible.
While choosing reusable products contributes to saving the environment in the long run, it also comes with a lot of extra work: carrying bags, cutlery and water bottles around all the time.
This is not practical when one is always on the run.
Guilt does kick in when I drink out of a plastic straw or a plastic cup, but there are times I forget – or, admittedly feel too lazy – to not go the extra mile and clean my reusable water bottle daily.
Having said that, there are many restaurants and cafes that continue to serve plastic bottles, cutlery and, perhaps most unnecessarily of all, single-use straws.
Although I’d rather drink out of a straw than from a cup used by hundreds of people, if it were not available at the restaurant, I would have dealt with it.
3. Changing the world requires breaking old habits
Finally, I find it difficult to break old habits in a busy world.
As a 2021 study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology stated, people need an average of 59 days to successfully form a new habit.
When I visit my local grocery shop weekly, my brain is wired to pick up the usual items I always buy.
What captures my attention most is the items on sale placed at the forefront aisles rather than the biodegradable products often relegated to the back.
But I am trying to change my ways, especially in line with the UAE’s recent decision to impose a charge on plastic bags.
Earlier, unthinkingly, I might have placed but one or two items, no matter how small, in their own plastic bag, simply because it was available for me to do so.
Now, like so many shoppers around me, I try to place items directly in the shopping trolley to unload them directly into the car.
Although I find it challenging to change old habits, if there’s one takeaway from Cop28 it is that living sustainably should no longer be a choice, no matter how inconvenient.
Next on my list? An electric vehicle, which is not only better for the planet, but also – conveniently – for the (faux leather) purse.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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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
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The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio
Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)
Engine 4.7L V8
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km
What the law says
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.
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now