ABU DHABI // Severe droughts and heatwaves, melting of the polar ice caps, dramatic sea level rise and the displacement of millions of people living in island states or low-lying coastal areas may be the unavoidable consequences of global warming.
Humanity can escape these disasters but time is quickly running out, experts at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi said yesterday. "We have the capacity, we have the opportunity and we have the technologies," said Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the scientific body that advises governments and the United Nations on climate change.
"Many impacts can be reduced, delayed or avoided through mitigation." Mitigating the effects, however, requires rapidly and fundamentally shifting the way energy is produced away from a dependence on fossil fuels to renewable energy.
"We certainly have no limits to the potential that exists for the use of renewable energy," Dr Pachauri said. "It is also important to know that the costs of most renewable technologies have declined and technological advances will result in further cost reductions."
James Leape of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) was more sceptical. "Yes, we have a chance but we have really been dragging our feet … we are rapidly running out of time," said Mr Leape, director general of WWF's international secretariat.
"We need to find a way to move very fast and we need to find a way for this shift to become exponential." WWF says the world must be reliant solely on renewable energy by 2050.
Averting the worst effects of climate change requires a legally binding international treaty on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, which is difficult because of countries' conflicting agendas.
At the latest round of negotiations in Durban, South Africa, last December, governments agreed to start work on a new climate treaty that should be developed by 2015 and come into force in 2020.
"The global community really has to decide where they want to stabilise temperatures," Dr Pachauri said.
Average temperatures this century could rise by between 1.1°C and 6.4°C. Anything above 2°C is likely to have a serious impact on humanity and the environment.
For example, substantial warming might mean frequent heat waves. Days of temperature extremes would occur once every two years by the end of the century, rather than once every 20 years, which was the pattern in the last century.
"This certainly has implications for air-conditioning, for energy demand and for how we adapt to these changes," Dr Pachauri said.
To stabilise temperature rise at no more than 2°C to 2.5°C, emissions must start peaking no later than 2015, Dr Pachauri said.
"Despite the fact we do not have a legally binding agreement, we have some good things happening in the globe," he said. "I have to be an optimist because I would not survive if I was not one."
However, Dr Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency, said a two-degree scenario was "far too optimistic" without a legally binding agreement on cutting emissions.
Such an agreement is also needed to boost investor confidence in renewable energy technologies and projects.
"Unless such an agreement takes place, I do not expect major changes in the current investment trends in energy," Dr Birol said. The share of renewable energy in the global energy mix has been increasing, but not by enough to make a big impact on climate efforts.
"There is growth and there is growth, the growth we would like to see … is far greater than what is going on now," he said.
"What has been agreed in Durban is very good in terms of having all major emitters on board. However, we have very little time to have major changes so that we can come back to a two-degree trajectory."
If climate change is to be reduced, experts agreed, an international, legally binding agreement must be signed that will have effects by 2017.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free
Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
65
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
Company%20profile
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Command%20Z
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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
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
No_One Ever Really Dies
N*E*R*D
(I Am Other/Columbia)
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
'Will%20of%20the%20People'
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
Company%20Profile
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
