A day after the UN climate roadshow left Dubai, several of Cop28’s weary delegates were in London, swapping tales, raising glasses and holding – if not quite a celebration – at least an upbeat reflection on the UAE-led summit.
At an eighth-floor reception 7,000km from Dubai’s Expo City, an Azerbaijani diplomat was already telling guests about his country’s vision for Cop29. Chris Skidmore, a climate champion in Britain's not-so-enthusiastic ruling party, was signing books on net zero. Even Stanley Johnson, environmentalist father of Boris, was handing out business cards.
Also significant was the star guest. Ed Miliband is currently the Labour opposition’s climate spokesman, but if polls for an expected UK election in 2024 are right, he could soon be the man turning the pledges of Cop28 into action.
The 194 countries who backed a deal in Dubai now have two years to draw up a new, more ambitious national climate plan, using the text known as the UAE Consensus as their guide. Their homework is due before Cop30 in Brazil in 2025.
“We often talk about this being the decisive decade when it comes to the fight against the climate crisis,” Mr Miliband said. “I think we’re entering the two years that are the decisive years of the decisive decade.
“The question for the world at Cop29 and Cop30 is – can we turn the words on the page … into action?”
Energy tasks
Many have described those words on the page as historic. More than 30 years after the world first set itself the goal of avoiding “dangerous interference” with the Earth’s climate, the UAE summit spelt out for the first time that this will involve “transitioning away from fossil fuels”.
The language was a compromise that emerged from all-night talks in Dubai. Some wanted a fossil fuel “phase out”. Another option was to agree nothing at all. The final text was a middle ground with a bit of something for everyone.
For poorer countries reluctant to take on new burdens, there are caveats that keep coal, gas, and fossil fuel subsidies on the table in some circumstances and an assurance that “different national circumstances” will be respected.
For those eager to ditch fossil fuels, there is hope that the Dubai deal's symbolic power is greater than the sum of its words and will generate an unstoppable momentum towards clean energy.
“We believe this is the start of the phase of the phase-out, if you allow the pun,” said EU climate diplomat Emilien Gasc.
“In the coming years, it’s absolutely key that everyone not only looks at the text but also at the spirit of the UAE Consensus and does their homework for the next round of nationally determined contributions.”
That homework includes trebling renewable energy capacity, doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements, tackling methane emissions and developing clean technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture.
There are also side pledges to act upon that were not part of Dubai’s agreed-by-everyone final text, such as an initiative by more than 100 countries to cut emissions from farming.
As Cop28 President Dr Sultan Al Jaber said in his closing remarks: “An agreement is only as good as its implementation.”
Some of this has begun already. Before the 48 hours were up between Cop28’s closing plenary session and Expo City’s reopening as a winter wonderland, Britain announced it had chosen 11 sites to produce green hydrogen.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that low-earning motorists will be able to lease electric cars for just €100 ($110) a month from January in a push to make more of them in Europe.
Scientists say emissions must start to plunge before 2030 if the world is to slow the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, staving off the worst effects on the planet. There is no time to lose, then, to turn pledges into reality.
Finance Cop looms
Dubai's pledges will cost money. The final text says developing countries will need as much as $5.9 trillion before 2030 to implement their go-green plans.
Everyone The National has spoken to, including the Azerbaijani ambassador, believes finance will be the key focus of Cop29 next November.
The entire global economy is really fundamentally redefining itself
Heather Buchanan,
Bankers for Net Zero
One key task passed on from Cop28 to Cop29 is deciding on a new funding goal to replace a 2009 promise of $100 billion a year for developing countries – which has arrived years late, if at all.
Also pencilled in for Azerbaijan are further talks on adaptation finance, meaning money that is not for cutting emissions but for facing up to climate change that may no longer be stopped.
This includes things such as flood defences that scientists say will become ever more necessary with every 0.1°C that the planet keeps warming.
Bangladesh has a funding gap of $5.5 billion a year as it faces rising sea levels that could devastate its low-lying coastline, said its high commissioner in London, Saida Muna Tasneem.
With the private sector asked to contribute, it has become a truism to say “the money is there” if only it can be allocated to green policies, but this is easier said than done.
“Fundamentally we’re starting from a financial system that’s evolved over hundreds of years,” said Heather Buchanan of Bankers for Net Zero. “At no point have we had nature and loss and adaptation sitting on your balance sheet.
“We’re now having to understand that. The entire global economy is really fundamentally redefining itself.”
As well as finance, the Dubai text describes technology transfer – sharing clean tech such as electric cars and drought-resistant crops with vulnerable countries – as a “critical enabler” of climate action.
“We cannot afford technologies,” said Ms Tasneem, who also expressed disappointment that less than $800 million has been pledged by rich countries to the loss and damage fund agreed at Cop28.
“Bangladesh is a densely populated country, every single acre has to be arable for agriculture. We need to ensure our food security. So where do we go? We go offshore. Offshore technologies are very expensive and we don’t have the means.”
Scores in brief:
Day 1
New Zealand (1st innings) 153 all out (66.3 overs) - Williamson 63, Nicholls 28, Yasir 3-54, Haris 2-11, Abbas 2-13, Hasan 2-38
Pakistan (1st innings) 59-2 (23 overs)
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
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%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
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
