Maps showing the concentrations of nitrogen dioxide over China between January 1, 2020 and February 25, 2020. EPA
Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre released a GIF image of the decrease in nitrogen dioxide concentration in the GCC countries, between November 26, 2019 until March 27, 2020. MBRSC
Two animated images show the drop in nitrogen dioxide emissions across Europe between January to March. Reuters
A woman wears a mask to protect against pollution as she passes the CCTV building in heavy smog on December 8, 2015 in Beijing, China. Getty Images
People wearing face masks walk past the CCTV building in Beijing on May 19, 2020. AFP
Residents of New Delhi, one of the world's most polluted cities, have been waking up to blue skies. Empty beaches in Thailand have seen record numbers of turtles return to breed. Air travel has almost come to a standstill: London's Heathrow Airport has recorded a 97 per cent drop in passengers compared to a year ago. Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to drop this year by eight per cent, bringing them down to the level they were in 2010.
It is tempting to see this as a different kind of “silent spring” – not the environmental catastrophe unleashed by the wanton use of insecticides that the term originally predicted, but a welcome period of quiet and inactivity from the greatest despoiler of planet earth, mankind.
Archer Hill: Is the environment really recovering?
A couple of ducks spotted on Paris's Rue de Sevres. Getty Images
A lone peacock walks along a street in Dubai. AFP
A herd of cows walk on a deserted road in New Delhi, India. Getty Image
Mountain goats roam the streets of LLandudno in Wales. Getty Images
A sign reads "Attention, wild animals, danger, stay away" near cows on the Mare e Sol beach in Coti-Chiavari, on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. AFP
A juvenile puma in the streets of Santiago. AFP
A flock of geese on the gander in Assam. Anuwar Ali / Getty Images
This was what my nine-year-old son – a keen follower of Greta Thunberg, like many young people – was alluding to when he asked me if this was the positive side of the coronavirus pandemic, as we wandered through Kuala Lumpur's near-empty Lake Gardens, now that we in Malaysia are at last allowed out for exercise.
Some short-term effects are easy to see – although they are not black and white – but it made me ask: what will the longer-term results be? Will we capitalise on some of the environmental gains from this time of restriction and suffering, or will we revert to our bad old ways, in spite of the climate crisis that we know is coming our way? To address the present, while we may be charmed by footage of herds of goats charging through Welsh villages and the like, the short-term picture is not as rosy as we suppose. Endangered species such as great apes are currently at great risk of virus transmission from humans.
Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri: Climate change is as real as coronavirus
Meanwhile others are more exposed to poachers – as Marco Lambertini, Director-General of WWF International, has pointed out: “With countries closing borders and parks to prevent the spread of the virus, budgets for wildlife conservation are being decimated.”
In the longer term, thinks Robert Hamwey of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development: “Many of the environmental challenges caused by the coronavirus crisis will gradually resolve on their own once the crisis comes to an end and previous levels of economic activity resume.” But he also concludes that “the benefits of air pollution reductions will also be erased. Overall, the crisis may thus have no permanent environmental effects".
I think this is too strong.
Mari Luomi: We must recover responsibly from Covid-19
An airline clears a layer of pollution hovering over Los Angeles, for the blue sky above this month. AFP
Firstly, it is clear that for the foreseeable future we are all going to fly less, and there will be strong pressure on airlines to decarbonise and use more renewables. France's Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, has for instance said that Air France must set itself the target of becoming the world's "most environmentally friendly" airline in return for a multi-billion bailout. People will still travel; we have not seen the end of the commute. But once we have seen how much work can be done from home, many businesses will seek to lower overheads by encouraging employees to continue working remotely. So car journeys are likely to decrease.
Robin Mills: How we can build a greener world
A deep overhaul of fossil fuel-wired economies to function on cleaner energy sources could require as much as $130tn in spending, according to Irena. Bloomberg
Secondly, some analysts believe that coal – considered a dirty power source – has been dealt a fatal blow by the pandemic. "Covid-19 will slash coal emissions so much this year that the industry will never recover, even with a continued build-out in India and elsewhere," Rob Jackson, chair of Global Carbon Project, told the The Guardian. "The crash in natural gas prices, record cheap solar and wind power, and climate and health concerns have undercut the industry permanently."
Thirdly, we know that in the future much more food will be sourced locally. "Delegating our food supply to others is madness. We have to take back control," French President Emmanuel Macron said in March, prompting the supermarket chain Carrefour to announce that it would find 95 per cent of its fruit and vegetables within the country.
Daniel Sanderson: UAE farmers busier than ever
Farmers pick out ripe eggplants from the field. All photos by Victor Besa / The National
The massive organic farm in the middle of the Al Ain desert.
A farmer carries a bucket to harvest organic green capsicums.
Organic beetroot is harvested.
Farmers clear the tomato field to give way to a new planting season at Emirates Bio Farm.
Farmers clear the tomato field to give way to a new planting season.
One of the greenhouses at the farm.
Assorted organic vegetables after being washed before sent to the packing station.
Assorted organic vegetables at the shop.
Organic dried tomatoes in olive oil being packed for delivery.
Organic honey from the farm.
Freshly baked whole wheat organic bread with pumpkin seeds from the organic kitchen.
Organic fresh farm eggs at the EBF store.
A store worker arranges online orders for delivery.
More broadly global supply chains will never be the same either; all countries are going to aim to be far more self-sufficient. Nobody wants to be entirely reliant on anyone else for anything essential, whether it be electronics or vaccines.
All of the above will have the very positive consequence of significantly reducing the global carbon footprint. But it is important to note that most of these changes will take place not because they are good for the environment – that is not why you are more likely to eat an aubergine grown locally as opposed to one shipped from thousands of kilometres away – but because nations will be protecting themselves against the perils of globalisation.
A view from The National: Abu Dhabi and the environment
Since viral transmissions are made more likely by human encroachment on wild habitats, and as climate change will present just as devastating a risk in the near future, the sustainability agenda ought to be taken more seriously than ever once the world moves into recovery mode.
The danger will be that in economies that have been devastated, opportunist politicians will make the pitch that creating new jobs and getting money in people's pockets are more important than what they will deride as the propaganda of the green lobby. Environmental regulations, which many on the right resent in any case, will be painted as the obsessions of liberal elites who never really suffered in the way the masses did.
A view from The National: Jane Goodall's message
In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency has suspended some environment laws, which means companies will face no penalties for releasing, for instance, carcinogenic pollutants – so long as they claim any violations were related to conditions caused by the pandemic. Given that the Trump administration has already dismantled more than 60 regulations deemed overly "burdensome", one can see what he, and like-minded leaders abroad, are likely to emphasise going forward. What they will call "necessity" could be the mother of environmental destruction.
So I do not share the optimism of those who think we will all collectively take a new approach to sustainability once we have passed the worse. There are too many who will fight tooth and nail to return to harmful and exploitative practices. The rest of us will have to battle equally vigorously if the planet is to gain anything from a period in which too many have lost too much, and worse is yet to come.
A sight to behold ...
Sholto Byrnes is a commentator and consultant in Kuala Lumpur and a corresponding fellow of the Erasmus Forum
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
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.”
LILO & STITCH
Starring:Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
