Morocco volunteers on Sahara clean-up mission as part Nomads Festival
M'HAMID EL GHIZLANE, Morocco - It may be the gateway to the vast Sahara desert, but that does not mean...
Economy
Saudi Arabia hosts UN talks on drought, desertification
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia will host the COP16 UN conference on land degradation and desertification next week as the...
Economy
Residents fume as Hawaii fire death toll climbs to 89
Lahaina, a town of more than 12,000 and former home of the Hawaiian royal family, has been reduced to ruins,...
- More than 2,200 structures were damaged or destroyed as the fire tore through Lahaina
- The new toll makes the blaze the deadliest in US since 1918, when 453 people died in Minnesota and Wisconsin
Geostrategy
US to invest $1.2 bn on facilities to pull carbon from air
The two projects -- in Texas and Louisiana -- each aim to eliminate one million tons of carbon dioxide per...
- Direct Air Capture (DAC) techniques focus on that CO2 emitted into the air, which is helping to fuel climate change and extreme weather.
- Each of the projects will remove 250 times more CO2 from the air than the largest carbon capture site currently in operation, the Energy Department said.
Economy
Iraq’s extreme temperatures a ‘wake-up call’ for world: UN
It has been experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought, and temperatures in the country have been around 50 degrees...
- In Iraq's far south, high salinity has harmed fishing in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where the Tigris and Euphrates converge
- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani has vowed that battling climate change would be one of his priorities
Economy
Fish farms reel from climate change in water-stressed Iraq
Drastic government measures have restricted water use for some purposes, including crop irrigation, and authorities have cracked down on illegal...
- About half of Iraq's estimated 5,000 "unlicensed" fish farms have been closed, Shamal said, pointing out that authorities still allow mobile fish tanks
- In Iraq's far south, high salinity has harmed fishing in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where the Tigris and Euphrates converge before spilling into the Gulf
Economy
UAE to mobilize global tech, space sectors for climate action ahead of COP28
ABU DHABI, UAE - Key UAE government entities have partnered to boost coordination between advanced technology and space sectors. The...
- The collaboration aims to further contribute to COP28’s inclusive ecosystem, bringing together major technology companies, global institutions.
- It will encourage companies to use the UAE as a base for producing new technologies that can help drive sustainable industrial development.
Geostrategy
Blazing heat spurs record energy consumption in Bahrain
Life in Bahrain largely moves indoors during the summer months, with the ever-present Arctic blast of air-conditioning systems.
- Manama's Electricity and Water Authority said the region "recorded its highest-ever electricity consumption rate" on Thursday at 3,798 megawatts
- Beating last year's record of 3,708 MW, the latest figure came as temperatures on Thursday reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit),
Geostrategy
In a warming world, is an air-conditioned future inevitable?
Washington, United States - They are ubiquitous in the United States, controversial in Europe and coveted in South Asia. As heatwaves...
- Air conditioning is responsible for the emission of approximately one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
- The number of air conditioners in the world, about two billion today, is set to skyrocket as temperatures and incomes rise.
Geostrategy
UAE oil giant ADNOC pledges to ‘accelerate’ zero-carbon plan
ADNOC "is accelerating its decarbonization plan to advance its net-zero ambition to 2045, compared to its previous target of 2050,"...
- ADNOC said it has "reduced its greenhouse gas emissions" by about 5m tons in 2022, mostly through the use of solar and nuclear energy, to power all of its onshore operations.
- ADNOC CEO Sultan Al Jaber, who will head up COP28, has argued that fossil fuels will continue to play a key role, and that carbon capture technologies will contain emissions.
Geostrategy
UAE urges collective action for sustainable development at G20 ministers meeting in India
DUBAI, UAE – UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri highlighted the importance of collective...
- The UAE minister called upon G20 countries to fulfil their commitment to providing the pledged financial support for global climate initiatives.
- She said that is only by collective action that the global community can achieve the worldwide emission reduction target.
Business
Water loss, river pollution threaten Syrian fishermen’s livelihood
The battered country, where half a million died in the conflict, has also suffered the impacts of climate change, from...
- Syria has endured more than a decade of civil war, and the nearby town of Raqa was the center of the Islamic State group's brutal "caliphate" until their ouster in 2017.
- Raqa province received only 208 mm per month of rainfall last year, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Morocco volunteers on Sahara clean-up mission as part Nomads Festival
M'HAMID EL GHIZLANE, Morocco - It may be the gateway to the vast Sahara desert, but that does not mean...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Gulf expects no change in oil export despite deal at COP28
Dubai, UAE - An agreement to "transition away" from fossil fuels may be a landmark moment but don't expect quick changes...
COP28 UAE
‘Nuclear solutions remain key to sustainable future’
“In the context of energy transition, flexibility is gaining more traction in the energy markets. This is exactly what small...
Economy
Tunisian villages grapple with severe water scarcity
Ouled Omar, Tunisia - Tunisian villager Ounissa Mazhoud ties two empty jerry cans to a donkey and cautiously descends a stony...
Geostrategy
Most Read
COP28 UAE
World unites at COP28 to shift away from fossil fuels
Nearly 200 nations in Dubai have collectively endorsed an agreement to move away from fossil fuels, marking a significant step...
- Nearly 200 countries in Dubai have collectively endorsed an agreement to move away from fossil fuels, marking a significant step in addressing climate change.
- EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra lauds the historic deal targeting a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030 as a significant breakthrough after decades of discussions.
Geostrategy
Digitalization has high environmental costs, says UNCTAD meet
DUBAI, UAE - With global attention on the COP28 climate summit, UNCTAD’s eWeek 2023 highlighted digitalization’s potential to accelerate climate...
- Data-driven technologies like the Internet of Things, robotics and artificial intelligence can enhance climate change monitoring.
- The digital transformation has left its mark on the planet through raw material depletion, energy and water use, pollution and waste.
COP28 UAE
COP28 goes into overtime as negotiators wrestle over fossil fuel
COP28 has debated a historic first-ever global "phase-out" from oil, gas and coal, the main culprits in a planetary crisis...
- With low-lying island nations warning that their very survival is at risk, negotiators worked through the night and the Emirati hosts promised a new draft to try to find consensus.
- Saudi Arabia has told COP28 to take its "concerns" into consideration while the OPEC oil cartel has urged members to resist calls to end their lucrative export.