The World Economic Forum on Wednesday said an initiative it is leading to plant 1 trillion trees by 2030 to reduce harmful carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere is being backed by governments and companies around the world.
A full team in Geneva is already working on the project and 200 to 300 companies have shown their interest in joining in the first 24-hours.
The impact of climate change has been high on the agenda in Davos this week with teenage activist Greta Thunberg speaking at the forum’s annual meeting.
On Tuesday in Davos, President Donald Trump said the US is backing the 1 trillion trees initiative.
That is despite Mr Trump having rolled back America’s commitment to the Paris deal to limit global warming since taking office.
Ivan Duque, President of Colombia, pledged yesterday in Davos that his country would plant 180 million trees by 2022 as part of its commitment to the programme. This will restore about 300,000 hectares of the Colombian ecosystem, he said.
The initial funding for the 1 trillion trees project is coming from Marc Benioff, the founder of $160 billion (Dh fig please) cloud computing company Salesforce, and his wife Lynne, a philanthropist in other fields such as health. The forum did not provide information on how much investment would be required to make the scheme a success.
Businesses, governments and individuals, “every one of us can make a commitment to plant trees”, Mr Benioff said.
The research underpinning the initiative has been carried out by a team led by British scientist Tom Crowther at the Crowther lab at ETH Zurich University. He had already mapped the world’s trees several years ago, learning that there were about 3 trillion and that there had been double that number of trees before the industrial revolution.
So “we published where trees could potentially exist under today’s climate … and came up with 0.9 billion hectares which is 1 trillion trees”, he said.
There is some uncertainty over the amount of carbon that could potentially be sequestered from this scheme, he said, with scientists arguing that it could be lower or higher than the 200 gigatonnes that Mr Crowther’s research suggested.
“What we are not uncertain about … whether it is 100, 300 or 200 gigatonnes [there is] a massive carbon drawdown in forests. We are all unified on that fact,” he said.
Mr Crowther’s research was inspired by the UN’s billion tree campaign, which began in 2006.
“There are three major dangers, the first is people might think [planting a trillion trees] is an excuse to stop cutting emissions. That can’t happen. The other dangers are [if you] plant in the wrong place you can destroy biodiversity …. and failing to include local communities.”
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a climate change expert from Chad, said that indigenous people “are the first ones excited about” the 1 trillion trees initiative because of the importance of forests to their lives.
She says a priority is “how indigenous peoples and people living in forests can be partners and first stakeholders”.
If this is successful the benefits will not only be more forest and trees but a wider impact on society.
She mentioned the conflict in the Sahel region of Africa, “which is about resources”, and the positive impact the success of planting and conserving trees could have on potential de-escalation.
Yogi Sadhguru, of the Isha Foundation in India, said “this is a good time to reduce meat consumption, which will free up agricultural land. This area, which is private, means that trees are more likely to be conserved … Survival rates on private land are over 90 per cent.”
Legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, who has been a key inspiration for the idea behind the 1 trillion trees programme, said it is critical to “work with the people cutting down trees because they are desperate to grow food to feed their families”.
“People have [started to understand] that saving the forests is saving their own futures,” she said. “This progress will be wasted if new generations don’t understand this too.”
Ms Goodall suggested a programme to name trees to help conserve them in the same way she pioneered naming the chimpanzees that she studied.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
The%20specs
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clinicy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Prince%20Mohammed%20Bin%20Abdulrahman%2C%20Abdullah%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%20and%20Saud%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2025%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20More%20than%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Gate%20Capital%2C%20Kafou%20Group%20and%20Fadeed%20Investment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
