Countries around the world are taking a pledge to reach net-zero emissions by the middle of the century to mitigate climate change. The UAE is the latest country to make the commitment to carbon neutrality and is the first in the Middle East and North Africa and only Gulf oil exporting nation to do so.
Here is what becoming climate neutral means.
What is net-zero?
Net zero can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal, or by eliminating emissions. Reaching net-zero emissions is also variously known as carbon neutrality or becoming climate neutral. This particular climate goal is critical to curbing global warming under the Paris Agreement signed in 2015. The agreement calls for countries to cap the warming of the planet at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, while at the same time reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
Who has taken the pledge?
About 60 countries around the world, accounting for more than 54 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, have pledged to become climate neutral. Some of the world's biggest polluters, including the US, the biggest producer of oil and gas, as well as China, the largest crude importer, and Australia, the biggest net exporter of coal, have pledged to become carbon neutral. Reaching net-zero emissions received a fillip during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, after record-low emissions prompted governments to enact stricter future controls.
What does it entail?
Countries that have pledged to go net-zero encourage businesses, especially highly polluting industry, to cut back on emissions in exchange for carbon credits. Businesses will also be subject to penalties for emitting highly polluting gases such as methane, which are 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it comes to furthering the warming of the planet. Sectors such as agriculture and the fossil fuel industries have come under strict regulations in countries that are striving to reach climate neutrality, to cut back on their methane emissions. Polluters such as China will no longer fund coal projects abroad as part of their targets.
Is it enough?
According to a study by Norway's DNV, the world will fall short of reaching Paris Agreement goals to reach net-zero emissions by midcentury, even if all power generated by then is green. Electrification is set to double in size by 2050, with renewables powering 80 per cent of requirements. However, in spite of the increase in clean power generation, carbon emissions from other sectors such as aviation, shipping, and trucking will be harder to reduce.
Is the Middle East part of the race to reach net-zero?
The UAE is the first Mena country and oil exporter to make a public commitment towards becoming carbon neutral by the middle of the century. The country will invest about $163 billion towards reaching its energy transition goals over the next three decades. It is already prioritising clean energy investments as part of its climate goals. The UAE has formed a hydrogen alliance backed by three state-owned companies to develop clean fuel to meet its decarbonisation goals.
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter of oil, is also investing in hydrogen and is building one of the biggest carbon-neutral cities in the world at Neom. Other oil-producing states in the Middle East, such as Iraq have called on the international community to support its efforts to transition away from fossil fuel. “An energy transition that fails to engage with fossil fuel-producing countries and their needs could have profound implications for regional and international security and the stability of global energy markets,” Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Ali Allawi and Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said in an opinion column published by The Guardian last month.
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
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Sugary teas and iced coffees
The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.
For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
