2023 hottest recorded year as Earth nears critical threshold
PARIS, FRANCE - The year of 2023 was the hottest on record, with the increase in Earth's surface temperature nearly crossing...
Geostrategy
Race against time after deadly Japan quake
The 7.5-magnitude quake, which hit Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu, triggered tsunami waves more than a meter...
Geostrategy
UAE, UK experts discuss science, tech help in net-zero agenda
ABU DHABI, UAE - Experts from UK and the UAE participated in a Sci-Tech Virtual Tour of the Emirates science...
- The tour was launched to facilitate business-to-business introductions between stakeholders and investors.
- During the virtual tour, delegates discussed decarbonization, affordability, supply of renewable energy.
Geostrategy
EU head says bloc must act over US climate plan changes
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc must act to address "distortions" created by Washington's $430-billion plan to...
- EU countries have poured criticism on Washington's landmark Inflation Reduction Act, seeing it as anti-competitive and a threat to European jobs
- The act, designed to accelerate the US transition to a low-carbon economy, contains around $370 billion in subsidies for green energy as well as tax cuts
Business
US company turns air pollution into fuel, bottles and dresses
The concoction includes billions of hungry bacteria, specialized to feed on polluted air -- the first step in a recycling...
- LanzaTech, which employs about 200 people, compares its carbon recycling technology to a brewery
- To date, the company says it has kept 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere
Science
‘Carbon credits need more supply, integrity to meet global demand’
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Carbon credits could make a significant contribution to achieving net zero by 2050, but only if...
- Trade in voluntary carbon credits could grow 100-fold by 2050 if teething problems are addressed.
- A carbon credit allows a country or organization to produce a certain amount of carbon emissions and it can be traded if the full allowance is not used.
Science
Natural disaster losses hit US$115 bn this year, says Swiss Re
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - Natural catastrophes have caused an estimated US$115 billion of insured losses in 2022 to date, driven by...
- Swiss Re added that so-called secondary natural disasters such as floods and hailstorms caused more than $50 billion of insured losses.
- Total insured losses topping $100 billion for a second consecutive year, said Swiss Re.
Science
Financing for nature must more than double by 2025, says UN report
The world must increase financing for nature-based solutions to meet key climate, biodiversity and land degradation goals, a United Nations...
- The UNEP report said that investments for nature-based solutions must increase to US$384 billion per year by 2025.
- By 2030 finance flows of $484 billion a year will be required for nature-based solutions.
Arts & Culture
How film and TV can help the climate change battle
Analysing a database of 37,453 film and TV scripts from 2016 to 2020, researchers at the University of Southern California...
- Scriptwriters have been keen to address climate change, Joyner said, but felt others would not be interested, or that they would be branded as hypocrites
- The number of Americans viewing climate change as a major threat jumped from 37 to 55 percent between 2017 and 2021, despite right-wing denials
Science
All regions experienced water extremes in 2021, says UN
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - All regions of the world saw water extremes last year - both floods and droughts - and...
- Large areas of the planet recorded drier than normal conditions in 2021, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said.
- Some 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to freshwater at least one month per year.
Economy
UK start-up behind algae-based packaging bids for Earthshot glory
Notpla -- whose mantra is "we make packaging disappear" -- is competing with 14 other firms for five prestigious awards,...
- Viral online interest has helped attract the attention of investors, with Notpla expanding rapidly to boast more than 60 employees
- A recent OECD report found, at the current rate, worldwide plastic waste will triple by 2060 to one billion tones per year
Economy
In rain-starved Iraq, a dam threatens to swallow farmland
Five villages are located on the site of the Makhoul dam and "a commission has been formed to ensure adequate...
- Tens of thousands of Iraqis are threatened by the Makhoul dam, which the government hopes will be operational on the mighty Tigris in five years
- There are repercussions for flora and fauna, warn environmental groups Save the Tigris and Humat Dijlah, who say the ancient city of Ashur -- a UNESCO listed site -- is at risk
2023 hottest recorded year as Earth nears critical threshold
PARIS, FRANCE - The year of 2023 was the hottest on record, with the increase in Earth's surface temperature nearly crossing...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
COP28 faces challenge of phasing out fossil fuels amid policy discrepancies
With nations' actions falling far short of the Paris Agreement's most ambitious target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees...
UAE to pump CO2 into rock as carbon capture debate rages
Fujairah, UAE - High in remote mountains in the oil-rich Emirates, a new plant will soon take atmospheric CO2 and pump...
Business
FAB becomes first MENA bank to publish TCFD climate report
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) became the first MENA bank to publish a Task Force for...
Business
Most Read
Climate change already reducing global GDP: report
Low- and middle-income countries have experienced a combined loss in capital and GDP totaling $21 trillion, about half of the...
- The report estimated that impacts from human-caused climate change cut 6.3 percent from global economic output last year, when weighted across populations
- "The world is trillions of dollars poorer because of climate change and most of that burden has fallen on poor countries," said lead author James Rising
Geostrategy
COP28 host UAE braces for rising heat risk, targets carbon neutrality
As global temperatures tick higher, with this year on course to be the hottest on record, the UAE is changing...
- The UAE's scorching summers, when many flee for cooler climes and the streets empty, look set to worsen due to climate change, various studies show
- The region's extreme heat and high humidity are a dangerous mix as in such conditions the human body struggles to cool itself by evaporating sweat on the skin
Geostrategy
Every industry should be held accountable on climate, says COP28 president
Paris, France - The president of a pivotal UN climate summit defended on Saturday the large presence of industry representatives at...
- "Everyone needs to be part of this process and everyone needs to be held responsible and everyone needs to be held accountable," COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber said
- "That includes all industries and in particular heavy emitting industries like aviation, transportation, aluminum, cement, steel, as well as the oil and gas industry," he added