The Cop30 climate conference in Brazil ended on Saturday without an agreement for the world to commit to phasing out fossil fuels.
More than 80 nations had been pushing for the gathering in the northern city of Belem to strengthen efforts to move away from fossil fuels, but some oil-producing nations were said to have been strongly opposed.
Speaking to the media after the final plenary session was concluded, the Cop30 president, Andre Correa do Lago, acknowledged that “some of you had higher ambitions” for the final agreement.
The agreement instead calls on nations to undertake measures to limit carbon emissions while “taking into account” decisions such as the UAE Consensus, the historic agreement at Cop28 in Dubai that was the first Cop text to signal a move away from fossil fuels.
Instead of including a push to phase out fossil fuels in the final text – which must be agreed by all 194 participating nations – Mr do Lago said that two road maps focused on transitioning away from fossil fuels and ending deforestation would be created, with slightly fewer than half the nations signed up.
The final text includes a call for finance for adaptation – measures to cope with the effects of climate change – to be tripled by 2035, an outcome likely to disappoint many developing nations, as earlier versions of the text had a 2030 target date.
After the final deal was gavelled through, several nations and blocs made public criticisms, with the EU and Switzerland unhappy about the global goal on adaptation, which was part of the text.
In comments on the final draft deal, which was later approved, Tom Picken, forests and finance director of Rainforest Action Network, said that Cop30 had highlighted “constrained ambition” and “a global financial system still built on extraction”.
“If governments can’t even agree to phase out fossil fuels – the root cause of the crisis – then the trillions still flowing into coal, oil, gas, deforestation and mining will continue unchecked, and developing countries will still be denied the predictable public finance needed for a just and equitable transition,” he said.
Bob Ward, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, part of the London School of Economics, said that while the negotiations in Brazil had “proved to be largely disappointing, like at previous summits”, there had been positive developments.
He said that the “Baku to Belem road map”, which aims to ensure that by 2035 developing nations will receive $1.3 trillion a year in external finance to support climate goals “has laid out a feasible pathway to significantly increasing support from public and private sources”.
“The Tropical Forest Forever Facility, launched just before the summit, is an innovative way of increasing investment in the Amazon and the other rainforests of the world,” he said, speaking from Belem.
“However, there is no escaping the fact that the current collection of national plans submitted for this summit for cutting emissions are still not consistent with the ambition of preventing warming from exceeding 1.5°C, leading to loss, damage and suffering all over the world.”
Dr Injy Johnstone, a research associate at the University of Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, said that, with the United States absent from the event, the presence of state-level officials took on greater significance. The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and Josh Becker, a member of the California state senate, both attended.
“There’s been a co-ordinated effort to bring in sub-state actors,” she said from Belem. “California’s leadership has been putting forward some groundbreaking [proposals]. They’ve been seen as leaders in that space. People were very excited to see them on the ground.”
While Cop30 is the first Cop to have a pavilion dedicated to carbon removal, the subject has not been a focus of the negotiations. Dr Johnstone indicated that this might change at subsequent events.
“We have a lot of new technologies. It’s not just about planting trees,” she said. “A greater concentration on the science is something the Australian negotiating team could bring to the table.”
Amid a stand-off over who would host Cop31, it was agreed this week that the event will be held in Turkey but that an Australian minister will chair the talks.
Dr Johnstone said the choice of Turkey over Australia as the host indicated that scaling down the size of the event was unlikely.
“To what extent do we still need 80,000 or 70,000 people attending? The nod to Turkey [means] that we’ll continue with a very significant Cop presence even though there’s much less technical negotiating happening now,” she said.
A notable absentee at Cop30 was the US, which is pulling out of the Paris Agreement, finalised at Cop20 in the French capital in 2015. That agreement set the aim of limiting temperature rises to no more than 1.5°C.
Despite the US under President Donald Trump rolling back on climate action, the EU said during Cop30 that it would continue to prioritise the issue.
Wopke Hoekstra, the European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, said the EU remains committed to transitioning to renewable energy, although questions were asked about the speed at which this was happening.
Europe also came under fire over its coming carbon tariff scheme, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, due to come into effect at the beginning of next year. Critics have branded the mechanism as protectionist.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
ICC Intercontinental Cup
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong v Papua New Guinea, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Scotland, Dubai International Stadium
Namibia v Netherlands, ICC Academy, Dubai
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
The%20specs
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Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The years Ramadan fell in May
EVIL%20DEAD%20RISE
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Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MEYDAN RESULTS
6.30pm Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer).
7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Galaxy Road, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Al Modayar, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
Winner Lady Parma, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Zaajer, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
