Donald Trump is never far from the headlines, and this week the US president has been the centre of attention over Venezuela, Greenland, immigration controversies – and climate action.
The United States, Mr Trump has announced, is pulling out of dozens of international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).
This follows his decision to bring the US out of the 2015 Paris Agreement, the key global deal aimed at cutting carbon emissions and limiting temperature increases.
Among those unhappy at the latest decision is the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Dr. Rachel Cleetus, the policy director and lead economist for the union’s climate and energy programme, said in a statement released by the organisation that Mr Trump’s administration was “determined to sacrifice people’s well-being and destabilise global cooperation”.
“But forward-looking US states and the rest of the world recognise that devastating and costly climate impacts are mounting rapidly, and collective global action remains the only viable path to secure a livable future for our children and grandchildren,” she added.
Others may share Mr Trump's view that the international agreements that the US is withdrawing from do not serve the country's national interests.
This week The National will be publishing further reaction to the news and considering what it means for global climate action.
Closer to home, with the UAE having recently further restricted the sale and manufacture of single-use plastics, now is an ideal time to consider what alternatives are available on the market in the Gulf region.
Lamis Al Hashimy, an Emirati entrepreneur, appears to have the ideal substitute for plastic knives, forks and spoons – a range of biodegradable cutlery produced from date-palm leaves.
As Shireena Al Nowais reports in an article about Ms Al Hashimy and her Dubai-based company, Palmade, production of the disposable cutlery is now running at more than 70,000 pieces a day.
Given the recent rule changes, it is no wonder that Ms Al Hashimy expects her firm to enjoy its best ever year in 2026.
Recent years have seen the emergence of many alternatives to the traditional plastic bags, packaging, plates, cups and cutlery – all typically made using fossil fuels – that modern societies have become so reliant on.
Corn starch and sugar cane are just two of the starting points for these substitutes for plastic.
Some replacements for plastics, as The National has previously reported, have themselves sparked controversy, because they will break down only under specific circumstances, such as with particular levels of humidity and at high temperatures.
In one study compostable plastic bags appeared to produce more toxins than did conventional plastic bags.
However, Palmade’s products provide, the company states, a worthwhile alternative to single-use plastics, one that has a much lower impact on the environment.
As well as selling disposable cutlery, the company uses date-palm trimmings to make knives, forks and spoons that are reusable.
It seems that the date palm – a tree beloved for centuries thanks to its role in producing the Gulf’s favourite fruit – is become increasingly useful in the modern era.
Can hydrogen help supercars to go green?
Supercars are typically not sold on the basis of their environmental credentials, but one vehicle recently unveiled in the UAE could offer a more eco-friendly form of high-powered motoring.
The Fast F61H V12 has a hydrogen-based internal combustion engine and, in terms of emissions, it primarily produces simply water vapour, along with trace amounts of nitrogen oxide.
In an article following the unveiling of the model at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Simon Wilgress-Pipe reports forecasts that hydrogen could become a mainstream choice for powering vehicles.
As well as Fast Auto, other supercar manufacturers have been working on alternative fuels, among them Porsche, which has a synthetic fuel that also uses hydrogen.
Dubai ramps up efforts to cope with floodwaters
The extreme rainfall that hit the UAE and Oman in April 2024 was a sign of things to come, because climate change is leading to an increase in extreme rainfall events.
Further heavy rains, albeit not on the scale of those of 2024, were seen last month.
The authorities are acting upon the risks, with Dubai having instituted a major increase in storm drainage to cope with events similar to those experienced in 2024.
In an article this week, Ali Al Shouk has outlined the latest initiative, with the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai installing a stormwater drainage system on Al Warqa’a 1 Street.
Should the UAE be hit by rains of the kind it experienced in April 2024, the country will likely be better able to cope with the deluge.
The big fact
According to a study from Canadian researchers published in 2021, global warming means that just four of the 21 locations that have hosted the Winter Olympics over the past century would still be able to host them in 2050.
Jargon buster
Snow drought: A period when the snow cover is abnormally low for a particular time of year. A 2025 study by reseachers in China and Italy forecast that cases of snow drought could increase fourfold or more by 2100, when compared to 1981.
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