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Feb 26, 2024 | 
sustainability-beat.co.uk | John Reynolds
Nokia has expedited its commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by a decade, saying it will now hit the target by 2040. The Finnish telecoms group had previously said it would reach the net greenhouse gas emission by 2050. Its new commitment of 2040 now puts it ahead of the Paris Agreement target of net zero by 2050. President and chief executive Pekka Lundmark hailed the new commitment as showing that net zero was a “business priority” for Nokia.
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Dec 5, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Valentina Pasquali |John Reynolds
Reuters/Chen Jimin/China News Service/VCG Standardising low carbon constructionCentre will verify builders’ methodsMena cement is 35% more pollutingThe American Concrete Institute will unveil what it claims is the first-ever low carbon building code on Wednesday at the Cop28 climate conference in Dubai.
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Dec 5, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Gavin Gibbon |John Reynolds
Gecko Robotics plans Abu Dhabi factoryMena revenues up 200%Aims to treble staff to 300Gecko Robotics, a US maker of robots that inspect the infrastructure of buidings, vehicles and other physical assets, is in talks to open a factory in Abu Dhabi. The company has also raised $100 million as part of a Series C funding round.
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Dec 5, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Melissa Hancock |John Reynolds
Companies to report on emissionsMethane comes from cow burpsGas considered worse than CO2Six of the world’s largest dairy companies will soon begin disclosing their annual methane emissions as part of a new global alliance launched at the Cop28 summit in Dubai on Tuesday.
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Dec 5, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Sarah Townsend |John Reynolds
Reuters/Costfoto/NurPhoto Global Cooling Pledge signed at Cop28Emissions predicted to surge by 2050Mena warming twice global averageMore than 60 countries have backed a pledge at Cop28 to cut air conditioning and related emissions by 68 percent of 2022 levels by 2050. They did so as a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) found that global cooling capacity will treble by then.
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Dec 5, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Gavin Gibbon |John Reynolds
Pledge to double energy efficiency growthBuilding inefficiency causes 39% of emissions$1.5trn in annual investment needed Failure to prioritise energy efficiency in the decarbonisation process will lead to the world missing the 1.5C climate target in the Paris Agreement, according to a leading expert. “We always say that energy efficiency is the lowest hanging fruit,” said Dr Nawal Al Hosany, vice chair of the Global Council on Energy Efficiency. “However, it’s like an orphan.
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Dec 4, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Andrew Hammond |John Reynolds
2,000 Riyadh attendees a nightJeddah planning opera houseArtists visit en route to AustraliaAnyone for opera? There was a time when the last place you would expect a serious answer to this question would have been Riyadh. But after Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli’s landmark performance in Alula last year, the sky’s the limit for musical tastes of all types as Saudi Arabia strives to develop a cultural profile that was once unthinkable.
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Dec 4, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Sarah Townsend |John Reynolds
Reuters/Jumana El Heloueh UAE banks increasing green financeFinance a key Cop28 pillarData informs decisionsBanks are navigating a complex battleground over fossil fuel phase-out: deciding whether or not to fund companies in oil and gas and other high-emitting sectors, they told a Dubai event staged in parallel with the Cop28 summit.
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Dec 4, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Matt Smith |John Reynolds
City is world’s 75th most polluted92,000 trees and shrubs plantedTransport also improvingSaudi Arabia will invest $92 billion to make Riyadh one of the world’s most sustainable cities by 2030, the kingdom’s tourism minister has said. Riyadh was awarded hosting rights for the 2030 World Expo, an event Dubai staged to widespread acclaim in 2021-2022 following a one-year delay due to the pandemic.
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Dec 3, 2023 | 
agbi.com | Andrew Hammond |John Reynolds
Reuters/Balkis Press/Abacapress.com Red Sea event replaces Dubai oneNeom is the sponsorHollywood stars attendThe third Red Sea Film Festival kicked off in Jeddah last week, highlighting the city’s rejuvenation as part of Saudi Arabia’s economic reform plans and rapid growth of its movie industry.
