UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the award-winning broadcaster Sir David Attenborough will on Tuesday urge UN members to treat climate change as a threat to international peace and security.
The two notable Britons will push UN Security Council (UNSC) members to cut carbon dioxide emissions down to zero by 2050 to prevent droughts, wildfires and other crises from driving conflicts in Africa and beyond.
The meeting comes as Britain seeks to maintain its global profile after Brexit and amid hopes that America’s re-entry into the Paris Agreement on climate change last week will speed efforts to switch out coal and oil for cleaner fuels.
“The UNSC is tasked with confronting the gravest threats to global peace and security, and that’s exactly what climate change represents,” Mr Johnson said in a statement ahead of the meeting.
“From the communities uprooted by extreme weather and hunger, to warlords capitalising on the scramble for resources — a warming planet is driving insecurity.”
Sir David, the British presenter of The Blue Planet and other hit wildlife shows, has recorded a video statement for the 15-nation body, which typically deals with wars and political crises rather than global warming.
"If we objectively view climate change and the loss of nature as world-wide security threats — as indeed, they are — then we may yet act proportionately and in time," Mr Attenborough said in a statement sent to The National.
“If we bring emissions down with sufficient vigour we may yet avoid the tipping points that will make runaway climate change unstoppable.”
Mr Johnson’s appearance will be the first time a British prime minister has wielded the gavel at UN Security Council talks in nearly three decades, and the first time leaders have debated climate change at the UN’s top table.
The UK will in November host the Paris agreement’s review conference in Glasgow, known as COP26, to ensure governments are reducing carbon pollution fast enough to stave off the worst effects of global warming.
Mr Attenborough said talks in Scotland may be “our last opportunity to make the necessary step-change”.
Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, most world governments have pledged to keep global warming to “well below” 2°C above pre-industrial times and to strive to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C.
The planet has so far warmed by 1.2°C and is headed for at least 3°C this century — raising the risk of wildfires, droughts, floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather that can drive conflicts over scarce natural resources.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, climate change likely does not cause wars, but can exacerbate droughts, desertification, water shortages and other underlying problems that make conflict more likely.
The group says that countries facing stark environmental problems are often also beset by conflict. Examples include Yemen, Mali, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.
The meeting comes after America’s reentry last week into the Paris agreement, after US President Joe Biden reversed a 2017 decision by his predecessor, Donald Trump, to exit the pact, calling climate an economy-draining “hoax”.
It also comes amid the latest example of headline-making weather — a winter storm across the southern US that brought deadly freezing winds, snow and ice to areas that seldom see such frigid conditions.
Mr Biden has pledged to put the US on a track to net-zero emissions by 2050 to match the swift and steep global cuts that climatologists say are needed to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, using curbs on fossil fuels and investments in clean energy.
Countries producing two-thirds of global carbon emissions are now pursuing the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, the UN says. China, the world’s biggest polluter, aims to be carbon neutral by 2060.
Powerful UN members Russia and China have typically sought to curtail Security Council debate on climate change, but this may change as the environment is increasingly a priority for Beijing.
Mr Johnson noted that the UN council has struggled to solve long-running rows, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that tackling climate change was “one we know exactly how to address”.
“By helping vulnerable countries adapt to climate change and cutting global emissions to net zero, we will protect not only the bountiful biodiversity of our planet, but its prosperity and security,” he said.
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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RS Leipzig 3
Marcel Sabitzer 10', 21'
Emil Forsberg 87'
Tottenham 0
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
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- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
The biog
Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza
Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine
France is her favourite country to visit
Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family
Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter
Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country
The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns
Her motto is to never stop working for the country
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Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
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Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
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On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
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Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Who is Ramon Tribulietx?
Born in Spain, Tribulietx took sole charge of Auckland in 2010 and has gone on to lead the club to 14 trophies, including seven successive Oceania Champions League crowns. Has been tipped for the vacant New Zealand national team job following Anthony Hudson's resignation last month. Had previously been considered for the role.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
The five pillars of Islam
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
