The Feyzin oil refinery near Lyon, France. A focus on energy security has led to new investment in oil and gas exploration around the world. AP
The Feyzin oil refinery near Lyon, France. A focus on energy security has led to new investment in oil and gas exploration around the world. AP
The Feyzin oil refinery near Lyon, France. A focus on energy security has led to new investment in oil and gas exploration around the world. AP
The Feyzin oil refinery near Lyon, France. A focus on energy security has led to new investment in oil and gas exploration around the world. AP

Global fossil fuel phase-out hindered by investments and subsidies, Ren21 chief says


  • English
  • Arabic

Policies to boost renewable energy need to be coupled with investments to phase out fossil fuels, the executive director of Paris-based think tank Ren21 has said.

Russia's war in Ukraine has exacerbated a global energy crisis caused by years of underinvestment in new oil and gas projects.

Europe, worst-hit by the crisis, boosted its imports of liquefied natural gas to shield itself from potential shortages in the short term.

“The whole discussion about fossil fuel phase-out … we won't get there if countries continue to send very mixed signals [and] continue to invest in new oil and gas exploration even though this is clearly not possible if we take climate change seriously,” Rana Adib told The National in an interview.

“The other [challenge] is continued investment in fossil fuel subsidies,” Ms Adib said.

Meanwhile, renewable energy adoption has also gathered momentum, with many countries introducing policies and regulations to boost clean energy investment and speed-up use.

Ren21 executive director Rana Adib
Ren21 executive director Rana Adib

“We have seen positive effects because renewable energy has been identified as an affordable clean fuel, but also a fuel that is resilient to the energy price crisis and is actually more spread all over the world,” Ms Adib said.

The US Inflation Reduction Act, enacted last year, offers a series of tax incentives on wind, solar, hydroelectric power and other renewables, as well as a push towards electric vehicle ownership.

The REPowerEU Plan proposed by the European Commission seeks to increase the share of renewables in the EU’s energy mix to 45 per cent by 2030 – this is up from the bloc’s current target of 40 per cent.

“They are more comprehensive than the policy packages we have seen in the past. In Europe, for instance, they will not only look at the power sector, but also into the heating sector and into the fuel sector,” Ms Adib said.

“There is … also focus on building up manufacturing capacities, which is very clearly required.”

However, Europe’s pivot to oil and gas to address potential shortages is concerning, Ms Adib said.

“This focus on energy security has led to massive new investment in oil and gas exploration [and] infrastructure,” Ms Adib said.

“LNG terminals [have been] decided in super-speed processes, where you wonder why renewable permitting … cannot be addressed in a similar way.”

Global upstream investment in oil and gas is on course to reach $528 billion this year, its highest level since 2015, according to the International Energy Agency.

Meanwhile, global LNG trade hit a high of $450 billion in 2022 amid a surge in European demand, according to the agency.

Record imports of the supercooled fuel have helped bring down European natural gas prices to about €35 per megawatt hour, from a record high of about €345 in March 2022.

Short-term economic benefits and “strong lobbying” are behind Europe’s decision to invest in infrastructure to import more LNG, Ms Adib said.

“These infrastructure [projects] are not short term … we're speaking about 30 to 50 years, and this is a very short-sighted view,” she said.

“It's sending very wrong signals to the economic players.”

On Friday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an accelerated agenda to drive a just transition for the global energy system to meet net zero goals and deadlines.

The UN leader said the fossil fuel industry was the vital player in the push to meet the Paris Agreement target of capping global warming at 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.

“We are hurtling towards disaster, eyes wide open”, he said. “It’s time to wake up and step up. The world must phase out fossil fuels in a just and equitable way."

Renewable power capacity is expected to increase by a third globally this year as growing policy momentum, higher fossil fuel prices and energy security concerns drive the adoption of solar and wind power, according to the IEA.

Hydrogen has been floated by energy companies as a potential solution to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement and petrochemicals.

“Whether it’s hydrogen or ammonia, it plays a role to complement solar [photovoltaic] as a storage function … hydrogen is a really interesting solution here,” Ms Adib said.

However, talk of using hydrogen as a key energy carrier in the place of electricity “does not make sense”, she said.

It “means that we need to build up three times more renewable power capacities … this is not efficient in terms of investment”.

Hydrogen, which can be produced from renewable energy and natural gas, comes in various forms, including blue, green and grey.

Blue and grey hydrogen are produced from natural gas while green is derived from splitting water molecules through electrolysis.

French investment bank Natixis estimates that investment in hydrogen will exceed $300 billion by 2030.

  • More than 2,000 people live on the Kolleh Town rubbish dump in central Freetown, Sierra Leone. Nick Webster / The National
    More than 2,000 people live on the Kolleh Town rubbish dump in central Freetown, Sierra Leone. Nick Webster / The National
  • Kaditu Kariwallie, 55, a grandmother who raised her children and grandchildren on the site and Maligie Koroma, Freetown City Council supervisor at the Bomeh refuse site in Freetown Sierra Leone. Nick Webster / The National
    Kaditu Kariwallie, 55, a grandmother who raised her children and grandchildren on the site and Maligie Koroma, Freetown City Council supervisor at the Bomeh refuse site in Freetown Sierra Leone. Nick Webster / The National
  • Daniel-Bob Jones, (yellow top) national chairman of community disaster management and Kolleh Town community chairman. Andy Scott / The National
    Daniel-Bob Jones, (yellow top) national chairman of community disaster management and Kolleh Town community chairman. Andy Scott / The National
  • Yassin Kargbo, Country Manager for Infinitum Energy. The company has a plan to strip the site of its recyclable materials and redevelop the site for its residents. Andy Scott / The National
    Yassin Kargbo, Country Manager for Infinitum Energy. The company has a plan to strip the site of its recyclable materials and redevelop the site for its residents. Andy Scott / The National
  • Kolleh Town landfill centre in Sierra Leone - home to more than 2,000 residents that mine the site for recyclable materials. Andy Scott / The National
    Kolleh Town landfill centre in Sierra Leone - home to more than 2,000 residents that mine the site for recyclable materials. Andy Scott / The National
  • Kolleh Town landfill centre in Sierra Leone - home to more than 2,000 residents that mine the site for recyclable materials. Andy Scott / The National
    Kolleh Town landfill centre in Sierra Leone - home to more than 2,000 residents that mine the site for recyclable materials. Andy Scott / The National
  • Kolleh Town landfill centre in Sierra Leone - home to more than 2,000 residents that mine the site for recyclable materials. Andy Scott / The National
    Kolleh Town landfill centre in Sierra Leone - home to more than 2,000 residents that mine the site for recyclable materials. Andy Scott / The National
Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera

Three stars

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

SWEET%20TOOTH
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jim%20Mickle%2C%20Beth%20Schwartz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Christian%20Convery%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Switch%20Foods%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Edward%20Hamod%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Plant-based%20meat%20production%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2034%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%246.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Based%20in%20US%20and%20across%20Middle%20East%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli

Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000

Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km

RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETeyon%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENacon%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%205%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20X%2FS%20and%20PC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

Three-day coronation

Royal purification

The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.

The crown

Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.

The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.

The audience

On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.

The procession

The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.

Meet the people

On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.

Batti Gul Meter Chalu

Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5

Company profile

Company name: Dharma

Date started: 2018

Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: TravelTech

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs

The past Palme d'Or winners

2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda

2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund

2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach

2015 DheepanJacques Audiard

2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan

2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux

2012 Amour, Michael Haneke

2011 The Tree of LifeTerrence Malick

2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul

2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke

2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet

HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')

Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')

PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm) 
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm) 
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm) 
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)

Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm) 
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm) 
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)

Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

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

Rating: 4/5

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

MATCH INFO

Norwich City 0 Southampton 3 (Ings 49', Armstrong 54', Redmond 79')

What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
  • Grade 3 = between grades D and E
  • Grade 2 = between grades E and F
  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Japan 30-10 Russia

Tries: Matsushima (3), Labuschange | Golosnitsky

Conversions: Tamura, Matsuda | Kushnarev

Penalties: Tamura (2) | Kushnarev

VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars

Francesco Totti's bio

Born September 27, 1976

Position Attacking midifelder

Clubs played for (1) - Roma

Total seasons 24

First season 1992/93

Last season 2016/17

Appearances 786

Goals 307

Titles (5) - Serie A 1; Italian Cup 2; Italian Supercup 2

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

John Cena v Triple H

Matches to be announced

WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”

Takreem Awards winners 2021

Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)

Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)

Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)

Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)

Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)

Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)

Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)

Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)

Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)

Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)

Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)

How%20to%20avoid%20getting%20scammed
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENever%20click%20on%20links%20provided%20via%20app%20or%20SMS%2C%20even%20if%20they%20seem%20to%20come%20from%20authorised%20senders%20at%20first%20glance%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAlways%20double-check%20the%20authenticity%20of%20websites%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEnable%20Two-Factor%20Authentication%20(2FA)%20for%20all%20your%20working%20and%20personal%20services%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOnly%20use%20official%20links%20published%20by%20the%20respective%20entity%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDouble-check%20the%20web%20addresses%20to%20reduce%20exposure%20to%20fake%20sites%20created%20with%20domain%20names%20containing%20spelling%20errors%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Updated: June 20, 2023, 3:00 AM