The Lower Manhattan skyline is obscured by hazy skies caused by forest fires in Canada. But things have to het worse before real solutions and leaders emerge according to John Elkington. Getty
The Lower Manhattan skyline is obscured by hazy skies caused by forest fires in Canada. But things have to het worse before real solutions and leaders emerge according to John Elkington. Getty
The Lower Manhattan skyline is obscured by hazy skies caused by forest fires in Canada. But things have to het worse before real solutions and leaders emerge according to John Elkington. Getty
The Lower Manhattan skyline is obscured by hazy skies caused by forest fires in Canada. But things have to het worse before real solutions and leaders emerge according to John Elkington. Getty

More chaos needed to solve global problems, says top green business guru


Matthew Davies
  • English
  • Arabic

One of the world's leading authorities on corporate social responsibility and sustainable development has told an event at London Climate Week that more chaos was needed before solutions to global problems can emerge.

In his book 'Green Swans', John Elkington wrote that “once there is enough chaos the opportunity for new, future-fit leaders to breakthrough can grow significantly.”

Responding to a question from The National at the panel discussion at Chatham House about whether there is currently enough chaos in the world for such a breakthrough to happen, Mr Elkington said there was not “because normal people and their leaders are not yet prepared to sacrifice sovereignty or do things that are currently unimaginable.”

“So, I'm afraid the pain has to build somewhat further,” he added.

Mr Elkington also said he believed the war in Ukraine was comparable to the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, in that it was a precursor for a major event.

“Beyond that conflict, there is an even bigger one coming towards us,” Mr Elkington said.

“So when we think about changing trade regimes, or whatever it is, I think we have to be aware that the world is not necessarily going in ways that we would like it to go.”

John Elkington compares the Ukraine war to the Spanish Civil War, believing a much bigger conflict will follow it. AP
John Elkington compares the Ukraine war to the Spanish Civil War, believing a much bigger conflict will follow it. AP

However, Mr Elkington said he does not consider himself a pessimist – and that transforming global economics would be a large silver lining.

“We have all grown up in a macroeconomic and geopolitical system that is inherited from our parents and grandparents, and was put together in the wake of the Second World War because people then had no option, they felt, but to sacrifice a certain amount of sovereignty and create trade regimes that worked to some degree for all.

“I think those regimes are now decomposing and I think that process will accelerate.”

Uncompetitive capitalism

Dorothy Grace Guerrero, Head of Policy for Global Justice Now agreed that transforming the current state of capitalism was essential.

“The kind of capitalism we have now is no longer the competitive type,” she told the Chatham House meeting.

“What we have at the moment is actually monopoly corporations. From the time we wake up, most of the things that we need are actually controlled, owned and dictated by less and less numbers of corporations, be it food, energy or transportation and even data. These are all getting more and more controlled by less and less number (of corporations).

“So, we need to understand that to be able to understand what kind of world we are living in and how we make policies that will address those questions.”

Experts said that if consumption is the problem, then changing consumer behaviour would be crucial, rather than just accusing producing countries of various environmental and climate change bad practices.

“The current metrics on sustainable trade have often been observing production-based accountability metrics, and therefore often blaming producing countries like Indonesia for what they produce, even if what is produced that is consumed in Singapore, Japan or China,” said Dr Thiago Kanashiro Uehara, a research fellow in the environment and society programme at Chatham House.

“So, there is a bonus for those consuming deforestation in Indonesia and we blame Indonesia for that.”

Joh Elkington predicts that eventually some climate change polluters will be bought off, others criminalised. Bloomberg
Joh Elkington predicts that eventually some climate change polluters will be bought off, others criminalised. Bloomberg

'Buy out the polluters'

Looking forward from what some on the panel referred to as the current 'poly-crisis', Mr Elkington said he felt a radical change was approaching, but there were many hurdles to overcome and that such a change would not be easy.

“I'm actually quite optimistic,” he said.

“I actually think there are moments in our collective history where an old order melts down. And it's only then that if you're really wanting to do major things, system changes, that that suddenly becomes possible. But you have to have a clear blueprint, and you have to have the political will to make that happen.

“We're going to have to think about something absolutely inconceivable at the moment.

“And that is just go back to slavery, where the UK government bought out the property rights to slaves over two years and spent the 40 per cent of GDP to do it. We're going to have to buy out to some degree, the fossil fuel polluters and we're going to have to criminalise the rest.

“It's not something we're going to do in short order, but I think we're going to have to do it.”

While you're here
What it means to be a conservationist

Who is Enric Sala?

Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.

What is biodiversity?

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

Results

STAGE

1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56

2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14

3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21

4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24

5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05

2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05

3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18

4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33

5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39

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Superpower%20
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Indika
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Power: 640hp

Torque: 760nm

On sale: 2026

Price: Not announced yet

HAJJAN
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

The Matrix Resurrections

Director: Lana Wachowski

Stars:  Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick 

Rating:****

The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima


Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650

Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder

Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm

Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

Price, base: Dh1.2 million

Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm

Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm

Fuel economy, combined:  12.3L / 100km (estimate)

 

Company: Instabug

Founded: 2013

Based: Egypt, Cairo

Sector: IT

Employees: 100

Stage: Series A

Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors

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

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 400hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000

On sale: now

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

MATCH INFO

Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)

TV: Abu Dhabi Sports

Profile

Company name: Jaib

Started: January 2018

Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour

Based: Jordan

Sector: FinTech

Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018

Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups

Gertrude Bell's life in focus

A feature film

At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.

A documentary

A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.

Books, letters and archives

Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
 

Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded 

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800

Leap of Faith

Michael J Mazarr

Public Affairs

Dh67
 

Updated: June 26, 2023, 7:29 PM`