The annual Cop conference begins on November 9, with politicians and other government officials to descend on Antalya in Turkey to consider where the world stands when it comes to climate change.
Among much else, Cop31 will kick off a new Global Stocktake, in which progress, or lack of it, towards the goals set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement will be analysed.
Scientists have said the world is not cutting carbon emissions according to the plan laid out in the agreement, which aims to prevent global average temperatures from climbing more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
But there is still much to play for in terms of how much temperatures will overshoot this target, and what commitments countries will make to control their own emissions and deploy green technology.
Earlier this year Turkey and Australia (which is leading the negotiations at Cop31) unveiled a target for 35 per cent of global energy consumption to be accounted for by electricity by 2035.
Look out for Cop-related coverage in The National in the weeks to come.
Discussions about climate change often centre on the risks of drought, the effects of flooding and how rising sea levels could impact coastal communities.
Other important impacts concern health, and this article from Lemma Shehadi reports on research suggesting that 50,000 people may have died across 30 European countries as a result of this summer’s heatwave.
As the effects of climate change intensify, such impacts will become greater.
The UAE, accustomed as it is to extreme temperatures and a lack of rainfall, is planning ahead for this changed future, as outlined in this piece by Nick Webster.
As detailed in the article, the Ministry of Health and Prevention has identified multiple areas that need to be looked at, including increased risks of heat-related illnesses and vector-borne disease such as malaria.
Climate-related mental health concerns (a topic university researchers in the UAE have analysed, as detailed in this earlier article) are also coming under the ministry’s spotlight.
The aim is to prevent climate-related harms, such as by having heat and air-quality early warning systems.
With the climate changing in ways that can feel alarming, the authorities’ efforts to mitigate impacts should offer some reassurance.
Authorities work to minimise impact of oil spill
Recent days have seen beaches in parts of the UAE, including Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, close as a result of an oil spill from a tanker in the Arabian Gulf, as detailed here and here.
While oil spills can cause significant environmental harm, as was shown to devastating effect following the 1990/91 Gulf war, when much larger quantities were released, authorities have been working to limit the impact of the latest release.
Marine experts have highlighted that rapid containment is ideal, as effects multiply once oil reaches the coast.
Confirmation that there had been an oil spill followed reports from residents in previous days of a fuel-like smell in the air.
Rescue network for injured wildlife in Abu Dhabi launched
A rescue network for injured or stranded wildlife has been launched in Abu Dhabi, as reported in this article.
Unveiled by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), the initiative will, among other things, dispatch field teams and oversee the rehabilitation and release back into the wild of animals.
The network will try to give animals “the best possible chance to recover and return to their natural habitats”, according to Maitha Al Hameli, EAD’s acting executive director of terrestrial and marine biodiversity.
As has been reported previously, wildlife in the UAE faces numerous threats, some of which come from consuming plastic waste.
The big fact
6,000 - the estimated number of people in Europe aged under 65 who died as a result of this summer's heatwave, out of a total of more than 50,000 deaths across all age groups. Researchers looked at data for 30 countries.
Jargon buster
Cop: This is the Conference of the Parties, which makes the decisions through the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This treaty was adopted in 1992 and came into force in 1994.
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