Piles of rubbish on a pavement in Paris. AFP
Piles of rubbish on a pavement in Paris. AFP
Piles of rubbish on a pavement in Paris. AFP
Piles of rubbish on a pavement in Paris. AFP

World set to generate 4 billion tonnes of waste annually by 2050, warns UN


Adla Massoud
  • English
  • Arabic

The amount of solid waste generated globally will double from around 2 billion to 4 billion tonnes by 2050, warned the UN Secretary General on Thursday, as the world marked the first Zero Waste Day.

“Waste is a killer of people, of our planet, of our natural resources and ecosystems, of economies, which lose billions each year from waste,” Antonio Guterres told the 193 member states at the UN General Assembly. "And the gobs of garbage keep growing."

According to the World Bank, 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated every year — 33 per cent of which is not properly managed in controlled facilities.

Every minute, he said, the equivalent of one lorry full of plastic is dumped into the ocean.

“Poorly managed waste is the third-largest global emitter of methane,” said Mr Guterres.

Meanwhile, a staggering 10 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions comes from growing, storing, and transporting food that is never used, he said.

The waste sector is also the third-largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions worldwide, accounting for about 20 per cent of the total, according to UN data.

Mr Guterres urged the international community to “fight back” and seek opportunities to “reuse, recycle, repurpose, repair and recover the products we use".

Circular and zero-waste economies, the UN chief noted, could save governments billions and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Also addressing member states, Turkey’s first lady Emine Erdogan, who is heading the UN zero-waste initiative, underscored the “vicious cycle of overconsumption”.

“In a world where millions of people have no access to clean drinking water, production of a single cigarette consumes 3.7 litres of water; a fact that deeply hurts every responsible citizen of the world,” she said.

Ms Erdogan highlighted the global waste trade issue as an “upgraded version of colonialism”, where toxic and hazardous materials are sold by wealthy nations to poorer countries.

“We live in such a world where we send our waste to the least developed countries thinking that garbage we don’t see is actually harmless,” she said.

“Humans have created this frightening landscape,” she said, “but we know that it is in our hands to stop this destruction and save the Earth, our common home.”

In December, the General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on a zero-waste initiative presented by Turkey, declaring March 30 as the International Day of Zero Waste.

A lorry dumps rubbish at a waste treatment plant in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. AFP
A lorry dumps rubbish at a waste treatment plant in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. AFP
Brief scores:

Toss: Australia, chose to bat

Australia: 272-9 (50 ov)

Khawaja 100, Handscomb 52; Bhuvneshwar 3-48

India: 237 (50 ov)

Rohit 56, Bhuvneshwar 46; Zampa 3-46

Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja (Australia)

Player of the Series: Usman Khawaja (Australia)

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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

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Take Me Apart

Kelela

(Warp)

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
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Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

Porsche Macan T: The Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo 

Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm 

Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm 

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto 

Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec 

Top speed: 232kph 

Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km 

On sale: May or June 

Price: From Dh259,900  

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

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1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Yahya Al Ghassani's bio

Date of birth: April 18, 1998

Playing position: Winger

Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm

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Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)

What is THAAD?

It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.

Production:

It was first created in 2008.

Speed:

THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.

Abilities:

THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".

Purpose:

To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.

Range:

THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.

Creators:

Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.

UAE and THAAD:

In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.

Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide

Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.

The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.

Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years

 

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

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5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m; Winner: Mcmanaman, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

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7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Rare Ninja, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

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9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Zorion, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

 

Updated: March 30, 2023, 6:38 PM