A suite of scientific initiatives has been announced at Cop26, such as new commitments to accelerate innovation and low-carbon transition in industry and cities and the formation of the global Adaptation Research Alliance to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities on the front line of climate change.
The UK government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, affirmed the vital role of science and innovation in reducing emissions and adapting to the effects of climate breakdown.
But science has not only provided solutions to global warming, it has given evidence which has compelled world leaders both past and present to Glasgow for the vital climate conference.
In the year of Cop26, the weight of scientific evidence has borne down on planet Earth with particularly suffocating force, from a candid warning of the effects of global warming by the World Meteorological Organisation, to the infamously leaked UN climate report which laid bare impending disaster.
Including these, here are five times that science made the world sit up and fear for its future.
1. Carbon Action Tracker reveals cataclysmic 2.4°C rise by 2100
The most recent scientific insight came on Tuesday courtesy of the Carbon Action Tracker, which chose Science and Innovation day at Cop26 to release its annual global update on the trajectory of global warming.
The analysis found that taking into account 2030 pledges alone, the global temperature increase would be at 2.4°C in 2100.
From analysing what countries are actually doing as opposed to the rhetoric, the predicted rise was even higher, standing at 2.7°C.
“This new calculation is like a telescope trained on an asteroid heading for Earth. It’s a devastating report that in any sane world would cause governments in Glasgow to immediately set aside their differences and work with uncompromising vigour for a deal to save our common future,” said Greenpeace international executive director Jennifer Morgan.
“Instead we’re seeing subversion, sabotage and selfishness from the powerful, while vulnerable countries fight for their lives and youth activists cry out for justice. You have to ask, where is the empathy?"
A similarly themed report by McKinsey and Company on Monday warned a 2°C increase in global temperatures would mean 800 million more people struggling to find an adequate supply of water, while an additional 1.6 billion people could be exposed to heat stress by 2050.
2. Unsustainable oceanic climate mitigation load
The role of the ocean in both mitigating and aggravating climate change is understood by scientists but ignored by politicians, says the paper The forgotten ocean - why COP26 must call for vastly greater ambition and urgency to address ocean change, released on the eve of Ocean Day at the conference.
It is the work of scientists from around the world including lead author, marine scientist and ocean conservationist Prof Dan Laffoley.
“To turn the tide in favour of humanity and a habitable planet, we need to recognise and better value the fundamental role that the ocean plays in the Earth system and prioritise urgent action needed to heal and protect it at the ‘Earthscape’ level – the planetary scale at which processes to support life operate,” he said.
The ocean is carrying the heaviest load in terms of climate mitigation, absorbing more than 90 per cent of the excess heat produced, in comparison with only about 3 per cent absorbed by land. It is also the largest carbon sink on Earth.
However, this work is damaging to the ocean, eroding its ability to function and creating feedback loops that exacerbate climate change.
The paper advocates protecting half of the currently unregulated planet with a “robust and strong High Seas Treaty”, expediting biodiversity initiatives and highlighting how global economies can help by placing a value on the ocean’s natural capital.
3. Past seven years set to be the warmest on record and sea level rise at new high
Before the start of Cop26, the World Meteorological Organisation released a chilling (figuratively, not literally) report enunciating the extent of the problem faced by planet Earth called State of Climate in 2021: Extreme events and major impacts.
Its headline findings were the past seven years are set to be the warmest on record and sea levels are at a record high.
Measured since the early 1990s by high-precision altimeter satellites, the global mean sea level rise was 2.1 millimetres a year between 1993 and 2002 and 4.4mm a year between 2013 and 2021, an increase by a factor of 2 between the periods.
This was mostly due to the accelerated loss of ice mass from glaciers and ice sheets, including from Greenland, where meltwater reached 3.5 trillion tonnes over the past decade.
4. Food shortages will affect millions more within decades
The scientific report on the climate that garnered the most headlines worldwide – and was indeed the most portentous – was that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Policy choices made now, such as promoting plant-based diets, can limit these health consequences but many are unavoidable in the short term, the report says.
It warns of the cascading effects that simultaneous crop failures, soaring inflation and the falling nutritional value of basic foods are likely to have on the world’s most vulnerable people.
Depending on how well humans get a handle on carbon emissions and rising temperatures, a child born today could be confronted with numerous climate-related health threats before turning 30, the report says.
The IPCC’s 4,000-page draft report, scheduled for release next year, offers the most comprehensive summary to date of the effects of climate change on the planet and its species.
The protein content of rice, wheat, barley and potatoes, for instance, is expected to fall by between 6 and 14 per cent, putting close to 150 million more people at risk of protein deficiency.
Essential micronutrients – already lacking in many diets in poorer nations – are also set to decline as temperatures rise.
Extreme weather events made more frequent by rising temperatures will cause “multi-breadbasket failures” to hit food production more regularly, the report predicts.
5. Tropical disease diaspora
The same report contains an epidemiological warning attendant on rising temperatures.
As the warming planet expands habitable zones for mosquitoes and other disease-carrying species, half the world’s population could be exposed to vector-borne pathogens such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika virus within decades.
Risks posed by malaria and Lyme disease are set to rise and child deaths from diarrhoea are on track to increase until the 2050s at the earliest, despite greater socioeconomic development in high-incidence countries.
The report says climate change will increase the burden of non-communicable illnesses.
Diseases associated with poor air quality and exposure to ozone, such as lung and heart conditions, will “rise substantially”, it says.
“There will also be increased risks of food and water-related contamination” by marine toxins.
As with most climate-related effects, these diseases will ravage the world’s most vulnerable people.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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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MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Al Montaqem, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m | Winner: Daber W’Rsan, Connor Beasley, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m | Winner: Bainoona, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: AF Makerah, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 | Winner: AF Motaghatres, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,600m | Winner: Tafakhor, Ronan Whelan, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
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
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
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
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
UAE%20SQUAD
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SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
