Top UN scientists have warned humans to drastically change their diet to limit the effects of climate change.
Balanced diets could help create a sustainable future, a special report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change looking at the relationship between climate change and land use found. The report was leaked on Monday before being officially unveiled on Thursday.
"Some dietary choices require more land and water, and cause more emissions of heat-trapping gases than others," said Debra Roberts, one of the report's 107 authors.
“Balanced diets featuring plant-based foods, such as coarse grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and animal-sourced food produced sustainably in low greenhouse gas emission systems, present major opportunities for adaptation to and limiting climate change.”
Around 2 billion adults are overweight or obese, but 821 million people are still undernourished, “highlighting the need to reform the global food system”, the report said.
Greenpeace Switzerland activists unveiled a banner outside the UN meeting in Geneva emblazoned with “Less Meat = Less Heat. Climate Action NOW!”
According to the IPCC, the meat consumption has more than doubled in the past 60 years as land was converted to agricultural use at what has been described as “an unprecedented rate in human history”.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also urged changes to land management and food production in order to limit global warming to 2° C.
It said the use of bioenergy — biofuels such as wood or crop waste — needs to be carefully managed to avoid risks to food security.
The UN’s scientists also warned of water scarcity, soil erosion, vegetation loss, wildfire damage and a decline in tropical crops due to climate change.
The report says humans now use 72 per cent of the planet's ice-free surface to feed, clothe and support the growing population.
"Agriculture, forestry and other types of land use account for 23% of human greenhouse gas emissions," said Jim Skea, a co-chair of one of the IPCC's three working groups on the topic.
"New knowledge shows an increase in risks from dryland water scarcity, fire damage, permafrost degradation and food system instability, even for global warming of around 1.5°C,” said Valérie Masson-Delmotte, one of the IPCC working group co-chairs.
Higher carbon dioxide levels are expected to lower the “nutritional quality of crops,” the report said.
That could severely hike food prices. Cereal prices could increase by 7.6 per cent by 2050 due to climate change, the report estimated.
"Food security will be increasingly affected by future climate change through yield decline — especially in the tropics — increased prices, reduced nutrient quality, and supply chain disruptions,” said Priyadarshi Shukla, co-chair of one of the IPCC working groups.
“We will see different effects in different countries, but there will be more drastic impacts on low-income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said.
The IPCC has warned that a rise in temperature higher than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels could trigger climate destabilisation.
The report’s 107 authors came from 52 countries, the majority from developing countries, and 40 per cent of them were women.
Scientists declared July the warmest month ever recorded globally on Monday on the back of Europe’s ‘Sahara plume’ heatwave, with record high temperatures recorded in the UK, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.”
More on Quran memorisation:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
THREE
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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
