Sustainability IMF lends Morocco $1.3bn to fight climate change The International Monetary Fund is to lend Morocco $1.3 billion to help the country guard against climate-related risks. The staff-level agreement was confirmed by Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF, who said the funding would be used to build resilience against future climate disasters. “Climate change is already dramatically affecting us,” Georgieva said in […] September 20, 2023
Health Al Jaber: climate change health risks need more investment Cop28 participating nations must increase financing to identify and mitigate climate change’s risks to human health, the summit’s president designate Sultan Al Jaber has said. “The connection between health and climate change is evident, yet it has not been a specific focus of the Cop process – until now,” Al Jaber told the UN General […] September 19, 2023
Opinion Oil & Gas Peak oil by 2030? It’s possible, but we won’t know until much later The International Energy Agency's forecast sparked a strong reaction, but oil, gas and coal are in very different places September 18, 2023
Sustainability UAE companies offered free emissions assessments ImpactGulf, a carbon accounting and sustainability consultancy, is offering 71 UAE-registered businesses a complimentary assessment of their greenhouse gas emissions over the past five years. The ‘71 Climate Heroes’ initiative – named to reflect the year the UAE was established – is open to the first companies and institutions that register by December 2. Any […] September 14, 2023
Sustainability Cop28 unveils first round of sponsors Mashreq, Emirates NBD, Investcorp and DP World have been announced as among the first round of official sponsors for the Cop28 climate change summit, to be held in Dubai later this year. Sponsors have been selected by the Cop28 Sponsorship Committee, which comprises seven internal Cop28 departments and an independent third party, professional services company […] September 13, 2023
Opinion Sustainability Saudi Arabia’s new water organisation must define its terms There are decisive limits for the kingdom that need to be recognised September 13, 2023
Sustainability UAE to train climate diplomats of the future Abu Dhabi has launched a research initiative aimed at preparing regional leaders for diplomatic discussions about climate change, as the UAE prepares to host the Cop28 summit in late November. The Centre for Climate Diplomacy at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), established in partnership with the national oil company Adnoc and Abu Dhabi sovereign […] September 12, 2023
Sustainability Israel expects 30% of electric cars on roads by 2030 Israel is expecting a huge jump in electric vehicle use by the end of the decade, when nearly a third of cars will be charged by the power grid rather than using gasoline, the energy ministry said on Tuesday. This will add significant stress to the national power grid, accounting for six percent of total […] September 12, 2023
Opinion Giga-projects Paradise found: Conserving and leveraging Saudi’s natural bounty How the world’s most ambitious sustainable hospitality project is being brought to life September 11, 2023
Sustainability UK commits $2bn to UN-backed climate fund Britain will commit to provide $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help developing countries cope with climate change, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday at the G20 leaders summit in New Delhi. The pledge would be the biggest single funding commitment the UK has made to date to help the world […] September 11, 2023
Sustainability Al Jaber responds to first UN global climate stocktake Cop28 president designate Sultan Al Jaber has urged nations to “urgently disrupt business-as-usual” to meet climate change goals, as the UN warned in its first global climate stocktake that progress made to date has been “inadequate”. The stocktake is a comprehensive review of countries’ progress on cutting emissions since the Paris Agreement was signed in […] September 8, 2023
Infrastructure Saudi water agency seeking global partnerships A Saudi government body set up this week to address global water challenges hopes to collaborate with other organisations across the world to meet its goals, the kingdom’s environment minister said on Friday. “The vision for this initiative is not just about creating a research and policy platform,” said Abdul Rahman Al Fadhli, Saudi Arabia’s […] September 8, 2023
Banking and Finance Emirates NBD to expand sustainable finance offering Dubai’s largest lender Emirates NBD plans to increase its provision of sustainable finance, including directly issuing green debt and other instruments to support social and environmental aims. The bank previously issued ESG-linked debt instruments via its investment banking arm, EmCap (Emirates NBD Capital), in 2019 for what it claims was the region’s first corporate green […] September 7, 2023
Opinion Energy Gulf energy systems must be more climate resilient Intense heatwaves and flash floods challenge energy supplies in the region September 7, 2023
Sustainability African leaders to propose new global taxes at Cop28 African leaders on Wednesday proposed new global taxes and reforms to international financial institutions to help fund climate change action in a declaration that will form the basis of their negotiating position at November’s Cop28 summit. The Nairobi declaration capped the three-day Africa Climate Summit in Kenya, which was dominated by discussions of how to […] September 7, 2023
Renewable Energy Aramco and Dutch car maker make low-carbon fuel Saudi oil major Aramco and Dutch car maker Stellantis have developed an e-fuel that will work without modifications in the engines of some 24 million vehicles already on European roads and using conventional petrol. Recent tests showed the low-carbon fuel could reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing internal combustion vehicles by at least 70 percent, […] September 6, 2023
Energy Adnoc approves project to triple its carbon capture capacity Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (Adnoc) has approved a new carbon capture, utilisation and storage project that will triple its annual carbon capture capacity. The project at its Habshan gas processing plant will be able to permanently store 1.5 million tonnes a year (mpta) of CO2 in subterranean rock below the site. On completion in […] September 6, 2023
Sustainability UAE companies pledge $450m to buy African carbon credits The UAE Carbon Alliance, a coalition of UAE companies aiming to develop a carbon market in the emirates, has pledged to buy $450 million of African carbon credits by 2030. The alliance signed a non-binding agreement with the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI), which was launched last year at Cop27 in Egypt to harness potential […] September 5, 2023
Opinion Logistics Act now to protect your supply chain against severe weather It would be foolish not to give serious scrutiny to your business September 4, 2023
Sustainability EU to seek Cop28 deal on phasing out fossil fuels European Union (EU) countries are preparing to push for a global deal on phasing out fossil fuels at the United Nations Cop28 climate summit ,which begins in the UAE in November-end, a draft of the EU’s negotiating position showed. Diplomats from the bloc’s 27 member states are drafting their position for the summit in Dubai, […] September 3, 2023
Sustainability Arab nations and China to launch drought research centre Representatives from Arab countries, China and a string of UN agencies on Tuesday agreed to establish a research centre for drought and desertification. The China-Arab International Research Centre for Drought, Desertification and Land Degradation will be built in an as yet unnamed location by China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Secretariat of the […] August 29, 2023
Construction Saudi Arabia plans zero carbon industrial park Plans for a zero carbon industrial park at King Abdullah Economic City, the megacity being developed on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, are under way following an agreement with green investment company Skytower. Saudi Press Agency said that King Abdullah Economic City’s organising body signed the deal with Skytower on Monday. It reported that the […] August 29, 2023
