As world leaders gather at the Cop26 summit to discuss their nations' roles to combat climate change, many artists have also rallied behind the event by producing work that puts the issues at stake under the spotlight.
From a light projection to an eco-friendly house, The National takes a look at the most significant works:
A light projection containing climate warning messages, by Jenny Holzer
Words by the broadcaster Sir David Attenborough and climate activist Greta Thunberg will be projected on the SEC Armadillo building in the official Blue Zone of Cop26 next Monday. These texts are part of Hurt Earth, a light installation by artist Jenny Holzer, which first lit the Tate Modern’s chimney in London to mark the opening of the conference last Sunday. The work, which is part of the World Wildlife Fund’s initiative Art For Your World, will then appear on the Met Tower in Glasgow from Tuesday to Thursday, November 11, before travelling to Edinburgh.
Antarctic air from the 18th century, by Wayne Binitie
Antarctic air from the year 1765 – the date that scientists say predates the Industrial Revolution – has been encased in a glass sculpture by artist Wayne Binitie. Its gases, including carbon dioxide and methane from the pre-Industrial Revolution era, capture a pivotal moment in earth’s history. The work is part of Binitie's exhibition Polar Zero at the Glasgow Science Centre, the venue for the Green Zone at Cop26.
A glass installation that highlights the decline of Atlantic wild fish, by Joseph Rossano
More than 300 hand-blown glass cylinders symbolising a shoal of salmon hang from a ceiling in the Cop26’s Blue Zone, to shed light on the UK’s declining wild Atlantic salmon populations. This community engagement project, conceptualised by artist Joseph Rossano, includes contributions from environmentalists, scientists and craftspeople from all over the world. The work was commissioned by the UK’s Missing Salmon Alliance, and highlights their successful repopulation project in Glasgow’s River Clyde, where decades of industrial pollution had driven out the river’s wild salmon.
A digital experience shedding light on the global climate crisis, by Takram and Hitachi
ThreeTransitions.earth is an interactive web experience exploring the relationship between climate change, biodiversity and human life. Participants at home and at Cop26 can explore different pathways to help solve the global climate crisis. The project is a collaboration between the R&D division of Japanese multinational Hitachi and the design innovation studio Takram, and will be part of the Hitachi exhibition booth at the Green Zone at Cop26 until Friday, November 12.
'Extinction Bell' raising biodiversity loss awareness, by Luke Jerram
A fire engine bell from Edinburgh’s National Museums Scotland’s collection will toll at random intervals 150 to 200 times a day on the museum grounds. Conceived by artist Luke Jerram, each ring of the bell will symbolise the extinction of one of the world’s species, in accordance with the figures from a 2007 report from the UN.
In Dubai, a human-sized hourglass responding to tweets from the Cop26, by Nicola Anthony
During Cop26, artist Nicola Anthony will create an installation composed of pulsing and flashing fibre optics that respond to live tweets from the conference. Visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai can watch the artist at work in the UK Pavilion, until next Tuesday. The artist will then build a two-metre hourglass-shaped installation using scavenged ocean waste material and recycled paper, through which the fibre optics will hang.
Experience the air in some of the world’s most polluted cities, by Michael Pinsky
A series of interconnected geodesic domes aims to mimic the air quality in five different cities across the globe. Visitors entering the domes start by breathing in the fresh air from Trondheim, a city in coastal Norway, then walk on to the increasingly polluted cities of London, New Delhi, Sao Paulo and Beijing. By experiencing some of the worst quality air on the planet, visitors will understand why action on air pollution is urgently needed. The five pods were exhibited in London’s Granary Square, before travelling across the UK to Glasgow.
'The Conference of the Birds'
Artists, cultural associations and indigenous communities from seven countries have contributed to an exhibition that will premiere at Glasgow’s Pipe Factory during Cop26. The exhibition draws on the Sufi poet Farid ud-Din Attar's The Conference of the Birds, which tells the story of an assembly of birds, in a time of existential crisis. The exhibition will also include a large installation of origami birds, submitted by hundreds of participants from across the globe, with the aim of creating a “murmur” in response to Cop26.
'The Encampment of Eternal Hope' at Wasps Studios, Glasgow
Artists Neil Bromwich and Zoe Walker have created a sculptural environment within Glasgow’s Wasps Studios, where they will host events and workshops focused around indigenous cultures and the climate emergency, during Cop26.
An affordable house made of carbon neutral, re-usable materials, by Beyond Zero Homes
Cop26 House is Beyond Zero Homes’ temporary installation for a house made of homegrown timber, that can serve as an example of carbon zero building and living. Inside, an exhibition of sustainable interiors has been curated by writer and design consultant Roddy Clarke. It includes a kitchen by HOLTE, a design studio working to find alternatives to the heavily polluting “fast-kitchen”, and artworks by Blandine Bardeau, who uses natural vegetable dyes as a painting material. The house and the exhibition will be close to the SEC, the main Cop26 conference venue, until Friday, November 12.
The Cop26 conference runs until Friday, November 12
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
