While there is growing global consensus on the urgency to tackle climate change, the international community has yet to fully realise the irreparable damage that it is inflicting on one of humanity’s most effective tools to deal with it: education.
Education remains overlooked in the climate policy agenda, making up less than 1.3 per cent of climate-related official development assistance in 2020, and mentioned in fewer than one in three national plans to reduce emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change.
At Cop28, under the leadership of the UAE, learning took centre stage.
Learning has been essential to humankind’s adaptation and survival. Schools can be safe shelters that protect children and their families during extreme weather events. School is where children learn how their everyday actions and choices affect the environment. It is also where they develop skills that will help the world transition to a greener and more prosperous economy. An additional year of education increases climate awareness by 8.6 per cent.
Indeed, schools change behaviours, grow skills and stimulate innovation. These are all essential to tackling the lethal threat facing humanity. But climate change is already blunting these tools.
About half of the world’s 2.2 billion children live in the most climate-vulnerable countries. Girls are disproportionately affected: extreme climate events are set to prevent at least 12.5 million girls from completing their education each year.
Learning has been essential to humankind’s adaptation and survival
A new study by the Belgian-based Vrije Universiteit Brussel found that, on average, a child born in 2020 is projected to experience twice as many wildfires, three times as many floods and nearly seven times as many heatwaves during their lifetimes compared with a person born in 1960.
Climate change is making heatwaves longer, more extreme and more frequent, disrupting education for millions of children around the world. Children in low and middle-income countries that are least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions are projected to feel climate change’s worst effects.
This year alone, Pakistan closed schools for 26 million children for a full week when temperatures soared to more than 40°C. Bangladesh shut schools for half its students during a heatwave. South Sudan saw scorching temperatures of up to 45°C and ordered schools to close for two weeks.
Even if schools remain open, extremely high temperatures affect children’s cognitive development and result in learning losses. A new analysis shows that even slowly increasing temperatures could amount to significant cumulative learning losses over time.
In fact, even education policymakers do not seem to fully comprehend how climate change affects learning. Only half of the education policymakers recently surveyed by the World Bank across 28 low and middle-income countries believe that hotter temperatures hinder learning. According to Unesco, fewer than half of curriculums worldwide have a reference to climate change.
Commitment to education as a key pillar in climate action was prominent at Cop28, where, for the first time ever, a day was dedicated to education and the Declaration on the Common Agenda for Education and Climate Change was adopted. This marked the first global political acknowledgment of the critical link between education and climate action. So far, 90 member states have signed the declaration, committing to allocate resources to climate adaptation, mitigation and investment to create education systems and learners that are climate-ready.
At Cop28, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Save the Children also launched a joint project aiming to make education systems in vulnerable countries greener by supporting the education sector’s climate adaptation; making school infrastructure more climate-resilient; ensuring learning continuity during extreme climate events; and, most importantly, recruiting pupils and teachers as allies in the fight against climate change.
Building on these steps is not only critical to fortify our climate action but is also a cost-effective investment. Every dollar invested in making education systems climate-smarter can save up to $15 in post-disaster recovery, demonstrating the imperative of integrating education in climate financing.
As the first and largest GPE donor in the Middle East and currently hosting its board meeting, the UAE is committed to supporting international efforts to invest in education as an effective tool in responding to climate change.
Global co-operation is the only way we can place learning at the heart of climate action, helping vulnerable countries turn their schools into infinite reservoirs of green learners who are humanity’s chance of surviving and reversing climate change.
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Fixtures
50-over match
UAE v Lancashire, starts at 10am
Champion County match
MCC v Surrey, four-day match, starting on Sunday, March 24, play starts at 10am
Both matches are at ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City. Admission is free.
Results:
5pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600 metres
Winner: Dasan Da, Saeed Al Mazrooei (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Saabah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Mukaram, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: MH Tawag, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) | Dh70,000 | 1,400m
Winner: RB Inferno, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Juthoor, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
RECORD%20BREAKER
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFirst%20match%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2020%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%2016%20round%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%203%20to%206%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-finals%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%209%20and%2010%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-finals%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%2013%20and%2014%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%2018%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
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
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
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
