Here are some recent editorials I wrote for The Gulf Today. (Posted for my records):
brings ray of hope
Amid all the din of negativity concerning environment, a ray
of hope has emerged all the way from the sun and it is indeed pleasant news.
According to the Global Trends in Renewable Energy
Investment 2018 report, released this week by the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP), solar energy dominated global investment in new power generation like
never before in 2017.
Solar power attracted far more investment than any other
technology, at $160.8 billion, up 18 per cent.
A driving power behind last year’s surge in solar was China,
where an unprecedented boom saw some 53 gigawatts added — more than half the
global total — and $86.5 billion invested, up 58 per cent.
The extraordinary surge in solar investment shows how the
global energy map is changing and what the economic benefits are of such a
shift, as UNEP chief Erik Solheim points out.
Investments in renewables bring more people into the
economy, deliver more jobs, better quality jobs and better paid jobs. Clean
energy means less pollution, which means healthier, happier development.
Last year was the eighth in a row in which global investment
in renewables exceeded $200 billion – and since 2004, the world has invested
$2.9 trillion in these green energy sources.
The UAE too has been expediting the pace of clean and
renewable energy projects in order to secure a happy future.
Incidentally, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, broke ground on
the 700MW fourth phase of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the
biggest Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project in the world last month.
The project advances the UAE’s global leadership in the use
of clean and renewable energy.
Sheikh Mohammed made it clear that the UAE is developing a
new model for sustainability and innovation and is keen to find creative
solutions based on international best practices and benchmarks.
The CSP project, based on the Independent Power Producer
model, will generate 700MW of clean energy at a single site.
The project, which features the world’s tallest solar tower
measuring 260 metres and the world’s largest thermal energy storage capacity,
will provide clean energy to over 270,000 residences in Dubai, reducing 1.4
million tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
This project has achieved the world’s lowest Levelised Cost
of Electricity of USD 7.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kW/h).
This is certainly a grand global achievement for the UAE.
Nothing can justify
a chemical attack
Barbaric is a mild word to describe the alleged use of
chemical weapons against civilians in the Syrian city of Douma during an attack
that killed dozens of people, including women and children.
Renewed violence in Douma is a matter of serious concern as
sustained airstrikes and shelling have killed civilians, destroyed
infrastructure and damaged health facilities.
Pope Francis has rightly pointed out “there is not a good
war and a bad one, and nothing, nothing can justify the use of such devices of
extermination against defenceless people and populations.”
Just a week ago, Thomas Markram, Director and Deputy to the
High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told the UN Security Council, that
the persistent allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria underscore
the need to identify solutions and reach agreement on an appropriate
accountability mechanism.
The Joint Investigative Mechanism of the Organisation for
the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and UN was created in 2015 by the
Council, but its mandate expired in November 2017.
While allegations of the use of chemical weapons have not
stopped, consideration of a mechanism for accountability has apparently slowed,
if not come to a standstill, as Markram pointed out.
In November last year, the Security Council failed to adopt
a resolution to renew the mandate of an international panel investigating the
use of chemical weapons in Syria, due to the use of the veto by permanent
member, Russia.
An angry US President Donald Trump has already stated that
there will be a "big price to pay" after what he called a
"mindless chemical attack" in Syria.
"Many dead, including women and children, in mindless
chemical attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by
Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world," the
president tweeted.
With allegations and counter-allegations flying around, it
is the helpless Syrian population that is paying the price.
Syria has been bleeding for long and the fighting has
entered the eighth year. As per UN data, the conflict has produced more than
5.6 million Syrian refugees and 6.1 million internally displaced people, with
more than 13 million people inside the country requiring humanitarian
assistance, including nearly six million children.
The use of chemical weapons, under any circumstances, is
totally unjustifiable. The international community cannot afford to remain
silent. The perpetrators should not be allowed to get away with this kind of
monstrous act.
UAE a humanitarian
role model for world
The naming of the UAE as the world's largest donor of
development assistance in proportion to its gross national income (GNI) for the
fifth consecutive year by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and
Development is a matter of pride and honour for the entire nation.
The path of benevolence has effectively been laid down by
the founding father of the nation, late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. To
this day, his generous legacy has been kept alive, crossing all borders and
barriers to touch the hearts of people in almost every country.
The UAE has exceeded the United Nations’ target of 0.7 per
cent official development assistance in proportion to its GNI ratio by donating
Dhs19.32 billion, a growth of 18.1 per cent over 2016, representing 1.31 per
cent of its GNI for official development assistance in 2017.
It should be noted that up to 54 per cent of the value of
the aid is non-refundable grants that are aimed at supporting the developmental
plans of the beneficiaries, which totalled 147 countries, 40 of which are among
the least developed in different world continents.
As Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign
Affairs and International Cooperation, points out, the UAE support has helped
secure the lives of millions of people around the world, establishing
international peace and security, creating better opportunities and a brighter
future for people in developing countries.
Right since its establishment, the UAE has been contributing
tremendously to international sustainable development efforts and humanitarian
response to global crises and disasters.
The nation’s commitment to philanthropy and humanitarian
assistance is total and inspirational. In December 2016, President His Highness
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared 2017 as the “Year of Giving,” in
which three key pillars were highlighted throughout the year: Corporate Social
Responsibility, CSR, Volunteering, and Serving the Nation.
The Year of Giving saw the development of various
comprehensive frameworks via various initiatives, strategies and programmes
that cemented the values of giving and philanthropy amongst the UAE’s citizens
and residents.
Sheikh Zayed once stated: “We believe that the benefit of
the fortune granted to us by God should spread to cover our brothers and
friends.” It is pleasing to note that the announcement on UAE being the world’s
largest humanitarian donor coincides with the celebration of the centennial of
Sheikh Zayed and marking of 2018 as the Year of Zayed.
If the words kindness and Emirati are considered synonymous,
now one well knows the reason.
Accelerate efforts to
cut global emissions
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ warning
that “climate change is still moving much faster than we are” calls for serious
attention of the world community.
Climate change is a matter that affects each and every
living organism on earth. Without rapid cuts in carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gas emissions, we will be heading for dangerous temperature
increases by the end of this century, well above the target set by the Paris
climate change agreement.
Rapidly increasing atmospheric levels of CO2 and other
greenhouse gases have the potential to initiate unprecedented changes in
climate systems that could lead to severe ecological and economic disruptions.
The Paris Agreement on climate change, adopted by world
leaders in December 2015, aims to keep global temperature rise to well below 2
degrees Celsius and pursues efforts to limit the temperature increase even
further, to 1.5 degrees.
The year 2017 had been filled with climate chaos and 2018
has already brought more of the same.
Recent information from the World Meteorological
Organisation (WMO), the World Bank and the International Energy Agency shows
the relentless pace of climate change.
For instance, as the UN chief points out, energy-related
carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.4 per cent, to a historic high of 32.5
gigatonnes.
Weather-related disasters caused some $320 billion in
economic damage, making 2017 the costliest year ever for such losses.
In social as well as economic terms, the 2017 Atlantic
hurricane season was devastating, washing away decades of development in an
instant.
In South Asia, major monsoon floods affected 41 million
people.
In Africa, severe drought drove nearly 900,000 people from
their homes.
As if these were not enough, wildfires caused destruction
across the world.
Arctic sea ice cover in winter is at its lowest level, and
the oceans are warmer and more acidic than at any time in recorded history.
According to WMO officials, last year was one of the three
warmest on record, and the warmest not influenced by an El Niño event. From
November 2016 to December 2017, 892,000 drought-related displacements were
recorded. Both the Artic and Antarctica are warming up fast.
Guterres is absolutely right in stating that this tsunami of
data should create a storm of concern.
The international community has no choice but gear up and
meet the level of the climate challenge.
It will be irresponsible for the present generation to leave
an inhospitable planet for the future generations to inherit.
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