- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
'Not there yet': COP host UAE vows to cut more emissions
The United Arab Emirates promised Tuesday to do more to help keep global warming below the 1.5 degrees tipping point after falling short in its latest plan to slash emissions.
The oil-rich Gulf monarchy, which will host this year's COP28 UN climate talks, last week unveiled plans to cut domestic emissions by 19 percent of 2019 levels by 2030.
Under these plans, the UAE would contribute to keeping warming to "just below" 2.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the UAE's climate change minister said -- slightly outside the goals set out in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement.
"We're striving towards the best that we can do with what we have now. I think it will be 1.5 -- we're not there yet," Mariam Almheiri told a media briefing about the UAE plans.
"We are not losing hope here. We're continuing our efforts on this because just from our experience of seeing what we've done in this improvement, I just feel there's a lot more in there that we can do," she added.
At COP21 in the French capital, countries pledged to try to keep warming "well below" 2.0C and to pursue "all measures" not to exceed the key 1.5C threshold.
The fossil fuels that powered the industrial revolution and global prosperity have already warmed the planet 1.2C, unleashing extreme weather and human upheaval.
Last week was the hottest recorded worldwide, the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization said on Monday, after days of scorching temperatures across the planet.
To cut domestic pollution, the UAE plans to triple renewable energy production and slash emissions in everything from industry to transport, including a new focus on electric cars.
Currently in the UAE, one of the world's biggest per-capita polluters, gas-guzzling SUVs abound and air conditioning is ubiquitous against the intense desert heat -- which is rising fast because of global warming.
According to some studies, parts of the Gulf region could become uninhabitable by the end of the century if warming is left unchecked.
Almheiri said the UAE was pursuing the "pro-climate, pro-growth" approach championed by COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of state oil giant ADNOC, who believes global warming is an economic opportunity.
She said the UAE hopes to unveil details of its plan to reach domestic carbon "net zero" by 2050 in the coming months, before COP28 starts in Dubai in late November.
"Believe me, we had hard discussions," Almheiri said, describing weeks of government brainstorming over the net zero goal.
"This year we're hosting COP28, we want to walk the talk," she added.
The domestic targets do not include planet-warming emissions from oil exported by the UAE, which is currently producing about three million barrels per day according to OPEC.
Y.Ponomarenko--CPN