The president of the UN climate conference, Cop26, stressed on Wednesday that he is looking for the world’s largest economies to “consign coal power to history” in the lead up to the summit in Glasgow this November.
“I’ve made it very clear that for me, consigning coal power to history has to be one of the things that we try to achieve on the road to Cop26,” conference head Alok Sharma said in an interview with the US-based Aspen Institute.
“It’s one of those issues that I think is going to be really important and determinative. And that’s why we need to make sure when the G20 leaders meet, that is a commitment that can be made.”
Mr Sharma was unable to convince the G20 — the group of the world’s 20 largest economics — to commit to phasing out coal during a ministerial-level meeting in Italy last month. The leaders of the G20 are scheduled to meet in Rome in October shortly before Cop26 convenes in Scotland.
“After that meeting, I was disappointed that we weren’t able to reach an agreement to phase out outdated coal, that we weren’t able to reach agreement in terms of international financing for local projects around the world,” said Mr Sharma.
However, he said that “there are reasons to be hopeful”, noting the communique emphasised the need to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and end international coal financing.
Cop26 aims to secure commitments from each country in a bid to keep global warming from exceeding 1.5°C above preindustrial levels in the hopes of warding off the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
Mr Sharma noted that global warming has already surpassed 1°C above preindustrial levels.
“I’m having a consistent message that I’m going to bring to governments around the world,” said Mr Sharma, laying out four main objectives that he aims to secure at Cop26 to keep temperatures below 1.5°C.
“First, they need to set out ambitious plans to cut the emissions in the near term by 2030 but then also to make commitments to go to net zero by the middle of the century,” said Mr Sharma. “Secondly, to adapt to climate change that is already happening around us.”
He also called on developed countries to live up to long-standing pledges of delivering $100 billion to help combat the effects of climate change and transition to renewable energy.
“We now have to show developing countries that we’re going to step up to that,” he said.
Lastly, Mr Sharma noted that Cop26 will seek to address “a range of issues that are still outstanding” regarding rules drafted under the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015.
He also praised US President Joe Biden for re-entering the accord following former president Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement.
“I’m really pleased that we now have an administration in the US that is putting climate change front and centre both in their domestic policy but international policy as well,” said Mr Sharma.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
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
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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