Ahead of the COP28 climate change conference in November at Expo City Dubai, the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCY) organized an awareness session entitled “Youth at COP28” as part of its 2023 summer camp activities.

The session was held in collaboration with the COP28 team, the Emirates Youth Council, the Youth Climate Champion team, and the Youth Council of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT).

The session, which was held with the participation of Her Excellency Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Development and COP28 Youth Climate Champion and in the presence of His Excellency Majid Al Suwaidi, Director-General and Special Representative of COP28, aimed to educate young people about COP28 and their important role in climate action and achieving sustainable development goals. The MCY also announced it will be launching a new youth climate initiative in the coming months.

Attending virtually, Her Excellency Al Mazrui encouraged young participants to adopt sustainable practices that support climate action efforts.

For his part, His Excellency Majid Al Suwaidi elaborated on inclusivity as a foundation of the COP28 Presidency that will enable a collective effort for ambitious outcomes at COP28. He highlighted the vital role of the Youth Climate Champion to elevate the voices of young people and empower youth-led action, and emphasized that young Emiratis will be crucial in delivering solutions and success at COP28 and future COPs.

Several discussions during the event covered COP28, the Youth Climate Champion Team’s strategy at the conference, and youth involvement in the initiatives of the Federal Youth Authority (FYA). Additionally, a youth retreat highlighted the initiatives and activities of the youth pavilion in the Green Zone at COP28.

A vast majority (73%) of consumers want to live more sustainable lifestyles, particularly among those living in emerging Asian markets (87%), but inconvenience and high costs are cited as main stumbling blocks to the adoption of sustainable lifestyles, finds the latest independent research commissioned by Alibaba Group.

The research, titled “The Sustainability Trends Report 2023”, polled more than 14,000 consumers from 14 markets across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It finds that convenience (53%) and affordability (33%) are critical for driving behavioral changes on consumer sustainability and businesses can make it easier for consumers to make sustainably conscious choices.

But consumers are cynical (38%) towards the underlying motivation of businesses’ “sustainable” products, with only 15% saying that they completely trust claims around sustainability of products. Businesses need to work harder to build trust among those consumers, especially among people living in European markets.

“As a digital platform company, Alibaba is uniquely positioned and committed to addressing the ‘say-do’ gap challenge; by reducing the inconvenience obstacle, adding more sustainable choices, and optimizing supply chains to keep costs reasonable for consumers. Sustainable consumption is crucial for the environment, and in the meantime it provides a great opportunity for businesses, as well as the digital economy as a whole, to have a long-lasting development into a sustainable future for all,” said Liu Wei, Alibaba Group ESG Strategy Lead.

Alibaba published its latest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report in late July where for the first time it disclosed its Scope 3+ decarbonization progress since it pioneered the concept in 2021 for a wider pledge of carbon emission reduction across its ecosystem.

Alibaba’s carbon ledger platform has seen a total number of 187 million consumers participating in carbon emission reduction activities in the 12 months leading to March 31, 2023 with 1.91 million products from 409 brands offered on Tmall and Taobao through its low-carbon friendly products program as of March 2023, its latest ESG report revealed.

Consumers from the emerging Asian markets are the most willing to learn how to make more sustainable purchase online

Consumers globally are embracing more sustainable lifestyles, but there are variations across regions in the level of engagement and how they want to live and shop more sustainably.

The research finds around three in four consumers (76%) would welcome more information about how to be more sustainable. The proportion is highest in the Philippines (93%), Indonesia (91%), and UAE (90%).

Over half (58%) of consumers say they’ve already engaged with sustainable practices and they feel they are already personally doing a great deal. There’s also a general openness towards learning about sustainable online practices, with an average of 73% saying that they would welcome more information about how to make purchases online that are more sustainable.

Respondents from emerging Asian markets (88%) show higher willingness to learn how they can make purchases online that are more sustainable compared with developed Asian markets (66%) and Europe (66%). The sustainable online shopping behaviors also differ across regions, with emerging Asian markets (47%) more inclined to choosing sustainable packaging whereas those in Europe (47%) tend to recycle more.

Half of the consumers would only go sustainable if it’s convenient; with a third believing sustainability is not affordable

Lack of information on how products are sustainable (48%) and the prices of sustainable products being too high (45%) are cited as the main barriers for consumers to make more sustainable purchases.

Over half of the consumers (53%) surveyed say they would only make sustainable choices if they were convenient, which is especially the case in Asian markets (61%) compared to European markets (36%). A third (33%) say living sustainably is not affordable, with Thailand (84%) leading the pack, followed by UAE (41%) and Spain (37%).

Amid the shifting consumer sentiments, businesses can play a significant role in making it easier for consumers to make sustainable conscious choices, the report finds. Making sustainable products more affordable (61%), making fewer products using single-use plastics and packaging (55%) and a wider selection of sustainable products and services (47%) are the top three ways consumers say businesses can do to promote consumer sustainability.

But businesses need to work harder to build trust among consumers on their sustainability claims, especially among those living in European markets, said the research. 23% of consumers say they “do not trust very much” the claims around sustainability of products from businesses, with the highest proportion in France (31%), Spain (31%) Germany (30%) and the U.K. (30%).

Nearly two in five consumers (38%) are cynical towards the underlying motivations of businesses’ sustainable products, with Thailand (56%), France (48%) and Singapore (47%) as the top three markets where consumers say sustainable products are just a way for companies to sell their products at a higher price.

“We believe companies can better earn trust from consumers by addressing their own ‘say-do’ gap, such as being more transparent and committed with their sustainability claims, and backing their sustainable practices with data. This will also lead to greater empathy towards consumers along our common journey of sustainability,” Liu Wei added.

As part of the Year of Sustainability and in preparation for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment concluded a workshop to develop the national strategy for the sustainability of the marine environment and fisheries. The aim is to review national efforts to protect and manage the marine environment and fisheries, including aquaculture, in addition to developing future programs and projects and identifying the main challenges and opportunities available to enhance the sustainable development of marine ecosystems and living water resources, leading to the identification of a shared national vision and key strategic guidelines for the period 2024–2030.

His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Salman Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Biodiversity and Marine Life Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, opened the two-day workshop. The workshop saw broad participation from more than 40 participants from municipalities, specialised environmental bodies, federal and local government departments, universities, port authorities, and a large number of scientific experts in environmental and marine sciences, scientists, and researchers.

The participating entities included the Ministry of Defence, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, Environment Agency -Abu Dhabi, Dubai Municipality, Fujairah Environment Authority, Abu Dhabi Ports, Ajman Municipality and Planning Department, Sharjah Fisheries Authority, Ras Al Khaimah Environment Protection and Development Authority, Umm Al Quwain Municipality, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), UAE University, and the National Space Science and Technology Center.

The workshop aimed to identify the national efforts led by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in the field of management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems in the UAE, evaluate the current status of the marine environment and various initiatives and projects in this regard, identify the most important existing and future challenges and opportunities, to enhance sustainable development and conserve the marine environment and its wealth, and lead to the identification of a shared prospective national vision that is in harmony with the state’s environmental policies.

In his opening speech at the workshop, His Excellency Dr Mohammed Al Hammadi said: “The concerted national efforts based on constructive cooperation with our strategic partners from specialised environmental entities and relevant federal and local government departments and the private sector will have a great impact in developing the national strategy for the sustainability of the marine environment and fisheries, and effectively contributing to the development and enhancement of the protection of marine resources in the UAE and ensuring their sustainability.”

His Excellency Al Hammadi stated that the United Arab Emirates plays a pivotal and active role in preserving the marine environment and fisheries, noting that: “In order to preserve our national marine wealth and work on its sustainability, we seek through the workshop to evaluate the current situation regarding the management of marine and coastal ecosystems, within a comprehensive framework that includes environmental, economic, social, and regulatory aspects.”

He added: “Based on an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, and available opportunities, a strategic framework will be developed from a future vision and key guidelines that respond to the challenges facing the marine environment and fisheries and global trends for the governance of marine ecosystem management. Its goals are to rely on developmental economic patterns with high added value, considering the marine environment’s specificity and fragility and the challenges of preserving the marine environment and fisheries.”

Multiple initiatives and projects

Workshop attendees engaged in discussions around the National Strategy for the Sustainability of the Marine Environment and Fisheries 2024-2030. They examined the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment’s efforts, along with those of other participating entities, in maintaining the sustainability of the marine environment and fisheries. This included a review of the numerous initiatives and projects the Ministry has initiated, spanning marine environmental research, studies, and marine habitat rehabilitation projects.

Participants also discussed developing a national plan to combat marine pollutants, establishing a national framework for sustainable fisheries, and introducing legislation to address changes in fish stock status, climate change impacts, and human activities. The discussions also touched on strategies to mitigate the effects of pollutants originating from terrestrial and marine sources.

Further discussions were held on other key strategic directions and initiatives. These primarily focused on the sustainability of marine and coastal environments, the preservation of living aquatic resources, and the collation of relevant statistics and data. They also explored research initiatives and the enhancement of national capacities related to the strategy’s objectives.

The Universities Climate Network (UCN), chaired by NYU Abu Dhabi, welcomed today 13 additional higher education institutions from the UAE, bringing the total number of participating institutions to 24.

These include the Abu Dhabi Polytechnic, Abu Dhabi University, Ajman University, Al Ain University, American University in Dubai, American University in the Emirates, De Montfort University Dubai, Emirates College for Advanced Education, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, University of Sharjah, Rabdan Academy, University of Birmingham Dubai, and University of Wollongong in Dubai.

The recently launched UCN comprises UAE-based universities and higher education institutions working together to drive engagement among youth and academia in the lead up to COP28 UAE. This includes collaborating on research and innovation for climate solutions, as well as facilitating dialogues, workshops, and public events, among other activities.

COP28 UAE will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023. The Conference is expected to convene over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors. 

For more information about the UCN, please visit this page.

Members of the Universities Climate Network (UCN) to date include:

1. Abu Dhabi Polytechnic
2. Abu Dhabi University
3. Ajman University
4. Al Ain University
5. American University in Dubai
6. University of Sharjah

1. American University in the Emirates
2. American University of Sharjah
3. Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy
4. De Montfort University Dubai
5. Emirates College for Advanced Education
6. Heriot-Watt University Dubai
7. Higher Colleges of Technology
8. Khalifa University
9. Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
10. Mohammed Bin Zayed University for Humanities
11. National Defence College
12. NYU Abu Dhabi
13. Rabdan Academy
14. Sorbonne University
15. UAE University
16. University of Birmingham Dubai
17. University of Wollongong in Dubai
18. Zayed University

COP28 UAE: 

• COP28 UAE will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30-December 12, 2023. The Conference is expected to convene over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector   representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors. 
• As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktake – a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals. 
• The UAE will lead a process for all parties to agree upon a clear roadmap to accelerate progress through a pragmatic global energy transition and a “leave no one behind” approach to inclusive climate action. 

Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind two of the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism destinations, The Red Sea and Amaala, has successfully opened its first mangrove nursery. The project will support the delivery of RSG’s aim to plant 50 million mangrove trees by 2030.

The initiative closely aligns with the national objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and RSG’s commitment to conserving and revitalising the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast, underpinned by an overarching ambition to deliver a 30 percent net conservation benefit by 2040.

“We hold the utmost respect for the environment in which we operate and recognise it as our most valuable asset. It is our shared obligation to not only safeguard it, but also proactively enhance it wherever possible. The successful opening of our Mangrove Nursery is a testament to that unyielding dedication to the preservation and rejuvenation of the Red Sea coastline,” said John Pagano, Group CEO at Red Sea Global.

“While we will continue to explore novel approaches, embrace cutting-edge methodologies, and utilise innovate technology, often nature already provides the greatest solutions. The power of mangrove forests to store carbon, to manage flooding and stabilise coastlines, and to provide shelter for fish and other organisms, makes them one of nature’s super ecosystems. Our Mangrove Nursery will increase numbers of mangroves and boost biodiversity, ensuring we reach the environmental ambitions we have set ourselves.”

The seedlings will be cared for in the nursery for approximately eight months until they grow to 80cm, at which point they will be carefully transplanted in designated mangrove parks within the destination. RSG’s experts chose to cultivate native mangrove species to increase the chances of survival, such as the Rhisophora Mucronate (red mangrove) and the Avicenna Marina (gray mangrove).

Raed Albasseet, Group Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer at RSG, said: “The establishment of a sustainable mangrove ecosystem is a key part of our commitment to protect and enhance the natural environment of our destination. These trees are among the most efficient tools we have for carbon sequestration, with the capacity to absorb up to 5-10 times more carbon than other plants. Coupled with the positive impact on biodiversity, the successful cultivation of seedlings forms a central pillar in our ambition to achieve a 30 percent net conservation benefit across our destinations. I speak for the entire team when I express my pride in reaching this milestone moment for our organisation.”

Mangrove nurseries must also be protected from natural threats in their own habitats such as storms, extreme high tides, grazing animals, and algae that feed on them. RSG has implemented the highest measures of protection for the nursery to minimise any harm to the seedlings.

The dedicated mangrove parks will soon form part of the guest experience, being open for visitors to explore and learn more about the important role they play in natural ecosystems.

Tarik Alabbasi, Environmental Programs Director at RSG, said: “The process of the cultivation and transplantation of mangrove trees is highly technical requiring significant planning and proficiency. Since mangrove forests require water to survive, nurseries are typically located near a source of water within the intertidal zone to ensure the optimal growth of the seedlings. We need to carefully track the tide cycles to find periods of low tide in addition to consistently monitoring the weather to avoid windy days.”

The establishment of the mangrove nursery is the latest initiative launched by RSG to protect and enhance key habitats crucial to biodiversity. Previous projects include the first-ever successful transplantation of native Doum Palm Trees, achieved earlier this year, and the establishment of pioneering floating coral nurseries to help expand the region’s coral reefs. The group also regularly conducts environmental surveys of wildlife ecosystems to track impacts and improvements, to optimise its approach, and ensure it reaches its regenerative goals.

RSG recently released findings from its latest Wildlife and Ecosystem Study. This builds on results of the largest ever environmental baseline survey completed by a developer released last year, covering 250 km of coastline across The Red Sea and Amaala destination areas.

The Red Sea destination is on track to welcome its first guests this year, when the international airport and the first hotels will open. Amaala will be opened to visitors soon after in 2024. 

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment revealed the launch of the “Jassas” system to monitor and track technical malfunctions of its digital services using artificial intelligence, which was developed by a team of Emirati experts from the Information Technology Department in the Ministry. The system will also work on developing itself autonomously to be able to solve technical malfunctions automatically and without human intervention in the future.

The Jassas system is one of the artificial intelligence systems that work on detecting and automatically revealing technical malfunctions that may face the users of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. The importance of the system lies in detecting technical malfunctions as soon as they occur and informing the specialists in the Ministry’s Information Technology Department to handle them, which saves more time and effort in reporting and solving such malfunctions proactively, where the number of transactions is no less than 200,000 requests annually.

His Excellency Mohammad Saeed Al Nuaimi, Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The (Jassas) system reflects the Ministry’s keenness to develop and adopt the latest modern technologies in the field of artificial intelligence in order to keep pace with global technological developments in this promising field with the aim of improving the user experience, which also contributes to supporting the digital transformation in government services in the UAE and transitioning it to another level of development, speed, efficiency, and flexibility.”

He added: “We are keen on providing technical and technological experiences in various environmental and climatic fields, as modern technologies are one of the most important solutions for enhancing sustainability and preserving natural resources from waste. The development of the Jassas system by a group of Emarati experts reflects our ability to keep up with global developments in all fields. We aspire in the coming period to generalize our experience by sharing our expertise with various federal and governmental entities within the country.”

For her part, Dr. Amna Abdulrahman Alhousani, Director of the Information Technology Department at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, stated that the ministry offers more than 100 digital services across all platforms, noting that manually examining and testing each function of these services requires several resources to ensure their continuous availability.

She added: “To face this challenge, the Information Technology Department has developed the (Jassas) artificial intelligence system for early detection of malfunctions that may face the services by developing an innovative tool that provides comprehensive survey results, evaluates functions, and confirms quality assurance without human intervention, ensuring the availability of all digital services around the clock and throughout the week through a dashboard about the status of services, and it is characterized by low cost, scalability, and meeting business needs.”

Alhousani revealed that to achieve better results, the Ministry is enhancing functional inspection and testing through a deep machine learning feature that noticeably improves results. She noted that, in addition to this, the Ministry aims to expand this approach to include all other systems used in it.

The accuracy rate of the “Jassas” system is more than 90%, and it is planned to continue self-development through deep learning. During the next phase, the system will learn from its mistakes and develop its capabilities using what is known as “generative artificial intelligence,” not only in monitoring, tracking, and reporting technical faults – but also in upgrading the system’s capabilities and solving those technical faults automatically without any human intervention. Thus, the “Jassas” system provides a pioneering experience for users in instantly solving faults, maximizing their benefit from the Ministry’s services now and in the future.

As the Russia-Africa summit unfolds in St. Petersburg this week, discussions are actively addressing critical global issues, such as food security and climate change, which can only be solved through a collaborative effort by many countries.

Russian petrochemical company SIBUR presented its climate strategy at the Russia-Africa summit and emphasized the need for a cross-border carbon trading mechanism to achieve the global goal of reducing CO2 emissions.

SIBUR places sustainable development high on its agenda. The company produces PET granules for plastic bottles using post-consumer recycled plastics, installs renewable energy capacities at its factories, and uses environmentally friendly equipment. These efforts, along with SIBUR’s international verification of its climate projects, allowed the company to earn carbon offset credits in Russia.

Russia established the National Register of Carbon Units last year, enabling SIBUR to sell its carbon offsets domestically, creating an incentive for other companies to decarbonize their production processes. SIBUR strongly supports the idea of creating an international carbon trading market, which was discussed at COP-27 in Egypt and during the BRICS summits. SIBUR also supports the idea of mutual recognition of carbon unit registers in different countries and regions, which would facilitate the cross-border trading of emissions.

According to Elena Myakotnikova, Head of Climate Initiatives and Carbon Regulations at SIBUR, only a coordinated effort by many countries can help humankind reduce CO2 emissions and combat global warming. SIBUR has also planted 2 million trees in Russia as the company considers nature-based solutions to be another important tool for the compensation of CO2 emissions. The company hopes that the international community will follow its example in employing such approaches.

EcoVadis co-founders and co-CEOs Pierre Francois Thaler and Frederic Trinel joined “A Moment With” to share their vision to create a business that would make a positive impact on the planet and society.

As more companies looked to transform their practices and business models to drive positive sustainability impact across their value chains, Thaler and Trinel saw an opportunity to provide insights and solutions at scale. Taking a “net positive” approach by considering all stakeholders – customers, investors, employees, suppliers, and more, while actively measuring results and working to improve sustainability practices at scale shows correlation with positive outcomes and bottom line impacts, as indicated in a recent study by Bain & Company.

EcoVadis has since become the world’s most trusted sustainability ratings provider, having assessed more than 100,000 companies in over 175 countries and 200 industries. Growing from a small startup to achieve unicorn status in June 2022 with a valuation over $1 billion, Thaler and Trinel have driven EcoVadis’ growth with their focus on building a values-driven culture and a collective passion for making a positive impact.

“By nurturing a culture of inclusion, shared values and passion for making a real difference, our team is optimally equipped to help customers on their journeys to build resilient and sustainable supply chains and drive positive impact at scale,” said Thaler.

“Our success is a testament to the power of aligning business goals with values and working together towards a sustainable future for all,” added Trinel.

EcoVadis continues to innovate with tools to support its customers: a Carbon Action Module to engage suppliers to drive decarbonization across the supply chain and the EcoVadis Academy that helps develop sustainability practices and improve performance.

The Green Cement Conference commenced recently, heralding a ground-breaking event that brought together esteemed visionaries, thought leaders, and industry experts from Europe, Middle East, Africa and North America, to propel the Green Cement revolution. With an exceptional line-up of sessions, the conference aimed to unlock a “data driven” limitless opportunities for a future of Green Circular Cement.

The conference’s panel discussions delved into critical topics crucial to transforming the cement industry and driving a factual Net Zero transition. Attendees actively engaged in enlightening conversations on climate challenges, technological innovations, market trends, opportunities, collaboration, and partnerships. These dynamic exchanges of ideas will fuel progress towards a greener cement sector.

The inaugural panel discussion addressed the urgent issue of climate challenges, and the pivotal role cement sector should play in the global effort to combat the climate change and achieve sustainability goals to 2030. Esteemed experts highlighted the significant carbon emissions linked to the industry and put forth actionable steps to reduce its environmental footprint.

Taking centre stage in the second panel discussion were ground-breaking technological advancements and the latest research and development efforts towards a circular cement future where distinguished experts presented the most promising innovations aimed at reducing carbon emissions in cement manufacturing.

The Green Cement Conference featured two eye-opening panel discussions. The first, titled “CCUS: Looking to the Future – Shaping the Path Forward,” focused on advancing CCUS technologies in the Cement Sector, highlighting scaling, collaboration, technology, policy, and international cooperation. The second panel, “Digital Maturity: What it Means for Cement Plant Decarbonisation?” explored the link between digital technologies and sustainable cement production, emphasising efficiency, process optimisation, and the transformative potential of digitalisation, automation, and AI.

The conference also provided a platform to discuss the impact of changing consumer preferences and market demands on the adoption of green cement. Furthermore, it delved into the significant implications of Carbon Tax on Cement and highlighted the power of collaboration and partnerships in accelerating the transition to green cement.

“We are thrilled to host The Green Cement Conference, providing an exceptional platform for industry leaders to come together and drive the transition towards a greener cement sector,” said Terry Pavlopoulos, CEO of CEMBR Group. “Through dynamic discussions, innovative ideas, and collaborative efforts, we aim to unlock the full potential of green cement in advancing the circular economy agenda.”

Amr Nader, CEO of A³&Co.®, the knowledge partner, expressed his belief that The Green Cement Conference promises to be a catalyst for change, igniting a collective effort to achieve a sustainable and green future for the cement industry. Nader also highlighted the panel on “Waste to Energy – Co-Processing Shaping Cement Future Circularity,” which aims to explore the pivotal role of waste-to-energy co-processing in shaping the future circularity of the cement industry.

The conference featured a distinguished lineup of speakers from:World Cement Association, McKinsey & Company, IFC, A³&Co.®, HERACLES Group, Titan Cement Company, Ciments de l’Afrique – CIMAT, Heidelberg Materials, Cemex Ventures, CemBR, Stifel, EBRD, KHD, Carbon Upcycling Technologies, C2CA Technology, Geocycle Hellas, DLA Piper, Carbon Re.