Sustainability

    As GCC turns 40, all eyes on the post-oil era

    The GCC alliance hopes for greater future economic growth in the Gulf. “The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has proven all skeptics wrong from day one until today,” Emirati political scientist Abdulkhaleq Abdulla told Al-Monitor. Forty years after the rulers of the six Gulf Arab states met on May 25, 1981, at the InterContinental Abu Dhabi […]

    UAE’s largest retailer Majid Al Futtaim secures first ESG loan of $1.5bn as a part of its sustainability strategy

    Retail giant Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) secured its first sustainability-linked loan with a value of 5.51 billion dirhams ($1.5 billion), said in a statement on August 31. The UAE-based retailer said the loan is part of its sustainability strategy, as it aims to facilitate and support environmentally and socially sustainable economic activity and growth. “The […]

    Greater unity key to tackle global challenges: Survey

    The world needs greater unity and collaboration and must share innovations and expertise if humankind is to tackle its most pressing challenges, according to an overwhelming majority of respondents in a global study by Expo 2020 Dubai. As Arab News reports, Reem Al-Hashimy, UAE minister of state for international cooperation and director general of Expo […]

    Greener pastures for green finance in the MENA region

    Out of the 12 MENA green and sustainability-linked debts issuances, four deals from Saudi Arabia account for almost 63% of the region’s total volume, with the UAE holding the remaining 37% Let’s check the article written by Benjamin Grolimund, the Middle East and Africa regional manager, Financial Products – Bloomberg LP. *** Green finance is […]

    Higher Education Council Secretary-General from Bahrain invited to attend UNEP conference

    Secretary-General of the Higher Education Council (HEC) and Deputy Chairperson of its Board of Trustees, Dr. Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Duaij Al Khalifa, today received Regional Director and Representative of the United Nations Environment Program for West Asia (UNEP), Sami Dimassi, and Regional Coordinator, Science West Asia Office, Abdelmenam Mohamed, BNA reports. During the […]

    The forest doesn’t “present” us anything. We use the forest and subdue pet animals

    Let’s get acquainted with the story by Nasta Zakharevich about terms and human attitude to wildlife. Sounds familiar to the biocentrism point of view, which we described in our author’s article previously. The French philosopher Rene Descartes became famous among the broad masses thanks to the idea “I think, therefore I am.” Today, many intellectuals […]

    Qatari mass fish farming project to produce 600 tonnes of tilapia annually

    Qatar’s environment ministry has launched an initiative that aims to produce over 600 tonnes of tilapia fish annually in a mass fish farming project. More than 600 tonnes of tilapia fish are expected to be produced as part of a Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) project, Doha News reports. The National Initiative for Farming […]

    ‘We breathe it in while we sleep’: Iraqi Kirkuk troubled by air pollution

    A nasty smell is spreading through eastern Kirkuk in Iraq, and residents are worried about the effect on their health from nearby industries, including oil facilities, Rudaw reports. “We don’t smell the nasty scent all the time, but sometimes we do. It smells like burnt crude. Our air conditioners pull the smell into our houses. […]

    Benefits of a competitive GCC in the post-oil era

    The sooner each GCC country defines their specialised positions, the sooner they will be able to seize the opportunities of the new post-oil era. This is what Noha Al Dhahri, consultant from OCO Global, states in the Arabian Business article. As crude oil prices decreased in mid-2014, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) awoke to the […]

    Container ship Ever Given returns to Suez canal for another attempt

    The vessel that caused global disruption when it got stuck is heading for the Red Sea again, The Guardian reports. In a rematch of the struggle that dominated global headlines earlier this year, the 400-meter, 220,000-tonne container ship that became lodged in the Suez canal for nearly a week, disrupting trade on a global scale, […]