The energy transition is arguably the most important economic and social project yet undertaken by humanity.
It is going electric to the nth degree and is, therefore, literally the process of switching the world's energy system and its role in the global economy from something that harms the planet to a new state of net zero.
This can't happen at the speed of flicking a switch, but the need is increasingly pressing. As we move towards Cop28 action is becoming more important than conversation.
Thirty years ago, few people had even heard of neodymium and dysprosium, two rare earth elements (REEs) that are used to create the permanent magnets that are the vital parts of wind turbine generators and electric vehicle batteries. Now they are referred to as the "critical minerals".
To switch away from fossil fuels, certain metals and minerals will need to be in abundant and timely supply.
These critical metals and minerals are what will enable the energy transition to happen, because they are used in the technology that will power the move away from fossil fuels.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that over the next two decades clean tech will account for 40 per cent of the world's copper and rare earths demand, 70 per cent of the demand for nickel and cobalt, and almost 90 per cent of the demand for lithium.
"EVs and battery storage have already displaced consumer electronics to become the largest consumer of lithium and are set to take over from stainless steel as the largest end user of nickel by 2040," the IEA said in its report, The Role of Critical World Energy Outlook Special Report Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions.
"The rise of low-carbon power generation to meet climate goals also means a tripling of mineral demand from this sector by 2040."
There are many other critical metals and minerals as well, from platinum to lithium, from copper to graphite.
A report by the European Commission (EC) identifies 17 special metals used in various high-tech applications including smartphones, wind turbines, MRIs, hard disk drives, LEDs, electric motors and more. It said these "raw materials have been identified as a possible bottleneck to the realisation of the green transition, at least at EU level".
'A matter of concern'
Francesco La Camera, director general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) told The National that "critical minerals are a matter of concern; something that we have to take care of".
Most believe that there are enough critical minerals in the Earth's crust to enable net zero to achieved. But for Dr Fatih Birol, executive director at the IEA, the issue is not so much quantity as it is location.
"Today’s supply and investment plans for many critical minerals fall well short of what is needed to support an accelerated deployment of solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles."
For example, rare earths are a bit of a misnomer – they are not rare on Earth. Mr La Camera says that there are probably deposits of rare earths in the garden of his house in Sicily – the problem for supply chains is that rare earths are actually mined in few places and refined in fewer still.
A recent report from Irena said the "mining and processing landscape of critical materials is geographically concentrated, with a select group of countries playing a dominant role".
Those dominant roles are held by Australia (in the case of lithium), Chile (copper and lithium), China (graphite, rare earths), the Democratic Republic of Congo (cobalt), Indonesia (nickel) and South Africa (platinum, iridium).
Dominant China
However, mining is only the first step. In order for critical metals and minerals to be viable in the battle for decarbonisation, they need to be refined, and there is one country that is way ahead of the rest of the world in this area, China.
China currently accounts for 100 per cent of the refined supply of natural graphite and dysprosium (a rare earth element), 70 per cent of cobalt, and almost 60 per cent of lithium and manganese, according to Irena.
The EC points out that "whilst the EU is a global manufacturing leader for products like automotive traction motors and wind turbines, it does not produce any rare earth elements itself. Of its total rare earth magnet demand, 98 per cent is met by Chinese imports".
"All of these speciality metals are in structural short supply relative to this exponential growth in demand, which is accelerating," Brian Menell, chairman and chief executive of Techmet, told The National.
"And all of them are controlled by China, who have seen this coming while everybody else was sleeping and over the last 15 or 20 years, has built an overwhelmingly dominant position across all of these global critical mineral supply chains."
Writing in Politico recently, Joris Teer, a strategic analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies and Chris Miller, an associate professor at Tufts University noted that China's dominance of several critical metal and mineral supply chains is a "powerful card" and "as mineral demand increases due to the energy transition, Beijing’s leverage is only growing".
Take for example, electric vehicles (EVs). Mr Teer and Mr Miller point out that China controls much of the value chain of electric vehicles, from the raw materials to the finished product; from "mining to refining, to processing, to battery-making, to manufacturing vehicles".
That creates a security concern, Mr Menell believes.
"“They will have a natural competitive advantage to supply electric vehicles into Europe, as opposed to batteries or lithium hydroxide," he told The National.
"The big European automakers could be very, very negatively affected, which could have massive inflationary and recessionary impacts on the German economy and hence the European economy.
"Globally, it creates a very unbalanced and uncomfortable geopolitical landscape, with respect to competition between the United States and China. So it has a lot of implications across many, many areas that we all have to think about very carefully.”
Analysts point out that even outside its own territory, China dominates.
For example, two thirds of the world’s cobalt, which is essential in manufacturing batteries, is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but most of the mines are owned by Chinese corporate entities and refining, more often than not, occurs in China.
More mining
Reducing the risks to the supply chains of critical metals and minerals involved in the energy transition should now be an urgent priority for governments, many analysts say.
One obvious solution is to diversify the supply by opening more mines, where possible.
But there are constraints to that, not least the issuing of mining permits and ensuring that environmental and social standards are met.
"The world basically relied on Chinese output and countries did not bother developing their own potential supplies as it was cheaper to rely on Chinese exports," Stuart Cole, chief macro economist at Equiti Capital told The National.
"These local mines will now be developed to reduce dependence on China – and indeed on any single country – but again, it takes time and the final product is likely to be more expensive. Issues such as these will play a big part in determining production levels for final products, and by implication their price."
As such, there's a mismatch between the supply and demand of critical metals, Mr Menell said.
"It takes 12 to 15 years to build a mine and only two to three years to build a battery gigafactory. So, there’s a disconnect that is going to result over the next 20 years in a continual undersupply of these ingredients into the energy transition and new emergent industries," he told The National.
Use and use again
Recycling some of the critical metals and minerals would go some way to overcoming the bottlenecks in the system.
The IEA estimates that by 2040, recycled copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt from used batteries alone could meet about 10 per cent of the demand for these critical metals.
But the hope is that recycled critical metals and minerals will form an increasingly larger slice of the supply, as more of them enter the system, recycling technologies improve and the number of facilities grows.
However, recycling can go only so far in closing the gap between supply and soaring demand.
Mr Menell believes that the issues with the critical metal and mineral supply chain are finally being taken seriously by western governments. He believes that the West's attitude to trading with many of the countries, like the DRC, that are the sources of these critical minerals, needs a complete revamp.
“We need to engage with these countries much more effectively than we have chosen to do over the last 20 years when there’s been a massive withdrawal in engagement and the creation of a gap that China has largely filled," he told The National.
"And part of that is changing our attitude to help those emerging countries who have important resources – change their attitudes and create more of a partnership of respect and trust, which is often absent.”
An Opec for minerals?
Some experts, like Robin Mills, the chief executive of Qamar Energy and author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis, say part of the solution might be to create a critical minerals organisation along the the lines of Opec.
"Such a minerals organisation should focus on co-operation: building expertise and technology, developing domestic industries, and growing the size of its market, rather than trying to restrict it" he wrote in this newspaper.
"It should focus on the national interests of members, not on illusory geopolitical goals."
Most of the solutions to the bottlenecks in the supply of critical minerals require time, effort and funding.
As such, as world leaders prepare for the Cop28 summit, smoothing out the potential supply bumps in the road towards net zero should become an actionable priority.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20ASI%20(formerly%20DigestAI)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Quddus%20Pativada%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Artificial%20intelligence%2C%20education%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243%20million-plus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GSV%20Ventures%2C%20Character%2C%20Mark%20Cuban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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)
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The%20specs
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041mm%20%E2%80%93%20352%20x%20430%3B%2045mm%20%E2%80%93%20396%20x%20484%3B%20always-on%20Retina%20LTPO%20OLED%2C%202000%20nits%20max%3B%20Ion-X%20glass%20(aluminium%20cases)%2C%20sapphire%20crystal%20(stainless%20steel%20cases)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20S9%2064-bit%2C%20W3%20wireless%2C%202nd-gen%20Ultra%20Wideband%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2064GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20watchOS%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHealth%20metrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Blood%20oxygen%20sensor%2C%20electrical%20heart%20sensor%20and%20ECG%2C%203rd-gen%20optical%20heart%20sensor%2C%20high%20and%20low%20heart%20rate%20notifications%2C%20irregular%20rhythm%20notifications%2C%20sleep%20stages%2C%20temperature%20sensing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmergency%20services%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Emergency%20SOS%2C%20international%20emergency%20calling%2C%20crash%20detection%2C%20fall%20detection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GPS%2FGPS%20%2B%20cellular%3B%20Wi-Fi%2C%20LTE%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Apple%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP6X%2C%20water%20resistant%20up%20to%2050m%2C%20dust%20resistant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20308mAh%20Li-ion%2C%20up%20to%2018h%20regular%2F36h%20low%20power%3B%20wireless%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eSIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinishes%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aluminium%20%E2%80%93%20midnight%2C%20pink%2C%20Product%20Red%2C%20silver%2C%20starlight%3B%20stainless%20steel%20%E2%80%93%20gold%2C%20graphite%2C%20silver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Watch%20Series%209%2C%20woven%20magnetic-to-USB-C%20charging%20cable%2C%20band%2Floop%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Starts%20at%20Dh1%2C599%20(41mm)%20%2F%20Dh1%2C719%20(45mm)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
