Never have two hurricanes struck the Gulf of Mexico simultaneously. As it turned out, tropical storm Marco fizzled out, but Laura became the most powerful hurricane to reach Louisiana in 150 years. Hitting perhaps the most important energy complex in America, it is another warning of the growing threat of extreme weather, charged by climate change.
In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed 115 mostly older shallow-water oil platforms and damaged many others. Nine months later, production had yet to be fully restored and was 150 million barrels lower over the period.
These storms were unusually strong offshore and, more than Laura, their paths took them over vulnerable infrastructure. Rules have been tightened subsequently to make energy plants more robust.
Hurricane Harvey in 2017 sat over Houston and delivered the most amount of rain in US history. Widespread flooding shut down refineries and led to extensive oil and chemical spills, but with relatively little long-term damage.
By contrast, the oil industry seems to have escaped Hurricane Laura relatively unscathed. The storm interrupted about 1 million barrels per day of crude oil exports, 650,000 customers across the area lost power and a chemical plant suffered a fire and chlorine leak.
Refineries may take some days to restart, but so far, they and offshore platforms appear to have avoided serious effects. If Laura had moved slightly west, it would have hit the refining centre of Port Arthur and probably caused much more damage.
Unlike in 2005, the low-lying Gulf of Mexico coast is now an important centre of liquefied natural gas exports. One project is proposed at Lake Charles itself, the site of the storm’s landfall. The large Sabine Pass and Cameron plants in Louisiana were right in its path and will be the last to re-start operations after damage assessments.
The seven named storms that hit the US before September this year are a record, and hurricane season has yet to reach its peak. Warm water intensifies the rainfall and wind speeds of tropical storms, which gain strength as they swoop over the Gulf of Mexico.
Laura is but another of a recent string of extreme weather. In October, California’s power utility cut off two million customers in a vain attempt to stop its power lines from triggering bushfires. Now, massive fires are spreading through the state again, including the second largest in history.
Possibly the highest temperature recorded worldwide occurred in Death Valley on August 16. The heatwave has led to rolling power cuts that have affected about two million Californians. The state discovered it was short of reserve gas-fired power while neighbouring states in the same boat had no surplus to export. When the sun set and solar generation stopped, the grid operator had to cut off customers to avoid a system collapse.
Between September and January, bushfires in Australia ravaged an area about the size of England. A drought and record-breaking temperatures helped drive the conflagration. The heaviest monsoon rainfall in 89 years of records drenched Karachi last week. China’s Three Gorges dam, the world’s largest, was under threat of overflowing last week because of heavy rainfall.
So far, the world's average temperature is about 1°C above pre-industrial levels. At best, if nations live up to their obligations under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the average increase will be about 1.5°C. Under current policies, with only weak effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and forests, we are in line for an increase of 2.8°C to 3.2°C.
That may not sound like much, but when the world was 6°C colder during the last glacial period that ended 10,000 years ago, ice sheets stretched to London, New York and Chicago, and mammoths roamed as far south as Granada in Spain.
The energy industry will suffer increasingly from extreme weather driven by further rising temperatures. Cyclones rarely strike the Arab world, with Cyclone Gonu, which hit Oman in 2007, being an exception. In 2019, instead of the typical single cyclone, there were five in the Arabian Sea that threatened India, fed by warming seas as those in the Gulf of Mexico.
But Gulf countries and neighbours such as Iraq are more affected by heat waves, which drive an increase in demand for air conditioning at the same time as they lower the efficiency of power plants. Rising sea levels are a further danger to the dense concentration of refineries, petrochemical and LNG plants, storage tanks, oil export terminals and desalination plants along the Gulf and Indian Ocean coasts.
Building resilience to climate change is a must for the energy industry. Its facilities naturally cluster together in coastal areas, but locations need to be screened for climate exposure. Construction standards must be robust enough to withstand higher waves and more violent storms. The forecasting of Laura’s track was exceptionally accurate – such warnings allow timely shutdowns and evacuations – but not all parts of the world are as well-covered as the Gulf of Mexico.
Electricity grids face new vulnerability from the growing share of weather-dependent renewables: hydroelectric, solar and wind. High winds and doldrums alike can shut down wind turbines, often in the high-demand period of a cold and dark northern European winter.
Conversely, sandstorms can sweep in over Middle Eastern solar farms while heatwaves cut nuclear output. But distributing renewables over wider areas, introducing more battery storage to smooth output and expanding international interconnections can give more resilience than a system with single points of failure.
Combatting the weather-related threats of climate change is already a tough challenge for the energy industry. There are no one-time solutions: changes such as rising sea levels will be continuous and relentless. Adapting will be far more disruptive and expensive than avoiding climate change in the first place, but we are unfortunately already past the point of no return.
Robin Mills is chief executive of Qamar Energy and author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James
Three and a half stars
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Company%20profile
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