For some delegates at Cop26, the summit's focus on coal and cars is overlooking the more homespun issue of the food on our plates.
Lobbyists from Greenpeace to the World Health Organisation have used the summit to call for meat-free diets, which they say are healthier and more sustainable.
But developing countries see another major health risk in the wood and charcoal stoves used by millions of people that cause household air pollution and damage the environment.
Some 900 million Africans lack access to clean cooking and 4 million people a year die prematurely because of illnesses linked to solid fuels, Kenyan Energy Minister Monica Juma said.
“I think it should just not be acceptable that people would meet their deaths this way,” she said on the sidelines of the Glasgow summit, where she called for investment in clean cooking.
“For a long time this was a small pilot project. We need to scale it up. That’s what we need out of Glasgow.”
Ms Juma said upgraded cooking facilities would especially help women and girls, who typically carry much of the domestic burden.
“It’s not about philanthropy. There’s a business case here,” she said. “A mother that takes less time to cook saves time for productivity.
“There’s this perception about this being small scale. 900 million people not having access to clean energy – this is a big market.”
Kenya hopes to expand electric cooking and promote other cleaner fuels such as ethanol, biogas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The last of these is on the rise as a household fuel in Nepal, said Ram Gopal Kharbuja, a joint secretary in the country’s Energy Ministry.
But Nepal would prefer people to switch to electric stoves, he said, because LPG has to be imported whereas hydroelectric plants can generate power from mountain rivers.
“We are promoting the use of electrical energy for domestic, industrial as well as transport,” he said. The latest climate plan submitted by Nepal to the UN calls for a quarter of residents to use electricity for cooking by 2030.
While these goals aim to improve health and cut greenhouse gas emissions, installing electric stoves in households is not always easy.
Nepal has experimented with miniature electric grids that do not need to be connected to a wider infrastructure. But tariffs on these can be expensive, said Simon Batchelor, a development expert at Loughborough University in the UK.
Collecting revenue is another issue because people who are used to collecting wood for fuel – paying for energy with their labour rather than with cash – are reluctant to hand over money for electricity, he said.
“When you go to communities there are many people who don’t understand these terms,” said Anne Songole of the Access Coalition, a civil society group. “They know food and they know it tastes good.
“As I look at Cop26 today, we are actually talking about coal but we have really neglected cooking, which is an important issue.”
It is not only activists from developing countries who want to talk about food. Many around the world see meat as an unacceptable luxury given the emissions it creates and the availability of plant-based substitutes.
Livestock is one of the major sources of methane, a greenhouse gas which world leaders pledged on Tuesday to stop emitting so rapidly.
Meat question
Critics of the pledge, which aims to cut emissions by 30 per cent this decade, say it dodged the question of reducing meat intake.
“Meat reduction offers an immediate solution to cutting methane in the near term because methane dissipates quickly,” said Anna Jones, a Greenpeace spokeswoman for food issues.
“Rapidly phasing out industrial meat production would help us buy precious time.”
Politicians have sought to defuse the sometimes highly charged issue by insisting that people will not have to give up meat.
In Glasgow, vegan and vegetarian activists are lobbying delegates to invest in plant-based food production around the world.
A lobby group called ProVeg International described meat production as an “elephant in the room”, which had not been sufficiently addressed by leaders.
However, it welcomed the lack of beef dishes on a menu at the Cop26 venue, which includes an estimate of an item’s carbon footprint.
“While the menu still isn't completely plant-based, it is clear from the display that they are the most environmentally friendly choices,” ProVeg activists said.
“We're happy to see that delegates are encouraged to not only talk about the climate crisis but to tackle it with their food choices as well.”
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Super Bowl LIII schedule
What Super Bowl LIII
Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):
PSG (2) v Manchester United (0)
Midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
WISH
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Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
English Premiership semi-finals
Saracens 57
Wasps 33
Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5
Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20several%20factors%20for%20landlords%20to%20consider%20when%20preparing%20to%20establish%20a%20holiday%20home%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3ERevenue%20potential%20of%20the%20unit%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20location%2C%20view%20and%20size%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EDesign%3A%20furnished%20or%20unfurnished.%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Is%20the%20design%20up%20to%20standard%2C%20while%20being%20catchy%20at%20the%20same%20time%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20model%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20will%20it%20be%20managed%20by%20a%20professional%20operator%20or%20directly%20by%20the%20owner%2C%20how%20often%20does%20the%20owner%20wants%20to%20use%20it%20for%20personal%20reasons%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuality%20of%20the%20operator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20guest%20reviews%2C%20customer%20experience%20management%2C%20application%20of%20technology%2C%20average%20utilisation%2C%20scope%20of%20services%20rendered%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Adam%20Nowak%2C%20managing%20director%20of%20Ultimate%20Stay%20Vacation%20Homes%20Rental%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The%20specs
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Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now