More than 30 climate start-ups have each secured $50,000 in funding from the Expo Live Innovation programme to scale up their businesses and develop climate-friendly solutions.
The winners will also be given the opportunity to showcase their plans during Cop28 in the UAE later this year.
The competition ran last month at Expo City in Dubai and attracted entrepreneurs from Sri Lanka to Sierra Leone.
The 36 winners were selected from a total of more than 1,200 grassroots groups, across waste management, technology solutions for farmers and food security projects.
More than 40 companies were invited last month to pitch their plans before a judging panel that made the selections.
The entrepreneurs from Bangladesh, Botswana, India, Israel, Germany and Singapore are among those who will receive guidance and grants to fight climate change.
“When it comes to securing a sustainable future for our planet, we must act fast, and we must act now,” said Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Co-operation and chief executive of Expo City Dubai Authority, in a statement.
“As we saw first-hand throughout Expo 2020 Dubai, grassroots and community organisations are on the front line of climate change, ripe with creative solutions that can make a real, positive contribution.”
She said Expo City was keen to connect the innovators with decision makers to promote collaboration and create a global impact in the UAE’s Year of Sustainability.
The Expo Live project that was launched before the World Fair in Dubai has supported 176 innovators from 90 nations.
The programme that continues as part of Expo City Dubai is estimated to have had a positive impact on 5.8 million people, by restoring 36 million hectares of land and saving 6.3 million litres of water.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
NEW ARRIVALS
Benjamin Mendy (Monaco) - £51.75m (Dh247.94m)
Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur) - £45.9m
Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £45m
Ederson Moraes (Benfica) - £36m
Danilo (Real Madrid) - £27m
Douglas Luiz (Vasco de Gama) - £10.8m
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
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