Today's Edition
SHAROUQ AWAD (DUBAI)
As COP28, hosted by the UAE, is just around the corner, several startup owners from around the world agree that the UAE supports all creative innovations related to climate and sustainability, due to their positive impact on human progress, facing global challenges, and ensuring a more sustainable future.
The UAE has significant practical experience in initiatives to reduce the impacts of climate change and projects in clean and renewable energy that create opportunities for sustainable economic and social growth.
The country looks forward to welcoming the world to the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to double efforts, enhance work on reducing emissions, and adapt to the impacts of climate change through a realistic, comprehensive, and integrated approach, focusing on finding practical and commercially viable solutions.
Although the UAE is not among the countries required to adopt measures to reduce these challenges, notably the global climate change crisis, it has implemented serious actions to reduce climate change impacts by supporting projects based on the latest low-emission innovations and technology.
In exclusive remarks to Aletihad, startup owners shared their eagerness to showcase their climate and sustainability innovations in the UAE, especially those shortlisted by the Expo Live Innovation Programme, due to the country’s leading position as a global destination for entrepreneurs and emerging projects in various sectors.
The Expo Live Innovation Programme is viewed as a global platform to showcase new innovations and technologies.
Startup owners see the UAE as fertile ground for introducing their projects as the country serves as a launchpad to introduce them to global markets. They expressed their hopes to display their selected innovations, which are among the projects nominated to receive support from the programme at the COP28 conference.
During a tour of Expo 2020 Dubai, Aletihad met with a number of the project owners qualified to receive support from the Expo Live Innovation Programme, highlighting innovations contributing to shaping the future of climate and sustainability.
Capturing carbonRobert Kunzmann is President of Japan-based AC Biode, a start-up in the field of clean technology based on chemistry, which developed a technology for capturing carbon dioxide in cities and homes, available for small companies and ordinary individuals to contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Kunzmann explained that this technology is part of carbon industry projects, a huge industry expected to reach $1 trillion by 2050.
The technology involves a filter placed in air conditioning units and air purifiers, where the filter extracts carbon dioxide from the air and stores it.
He noted that the company aims to expand its work with several companies. The stored carbon dioxide contributes to several important industries such as glass, jewellery, and low-carbon souvenirs, Kunzmann added.
He noted that despite the challenging climate conditions of the UAE, the country’s leadership possesses the will and determination to include sustainability in its ambitious development plans, which prioritise human welfare and happiness in a safe environment as a strategic goal, utilising all capabilities to achieve it.
Organic FarmJehane Akiki, one of the founders of the Turba Farm project in Lebanon, said that their project, a renewable organic farm led by women, can produce three times the food as another farm of the same size.
“Organic farming has many advantages for people and the environment, as it is less costly, provides better financial returns, and produces health-beneficial products. It also reduces the risks of climate change, in addition to restoring soil health and providing work for small farmers,” Akiki told Aletihad.
Akiki explained that climate change significantly affects plants just as it affects humans, as rising temperatures lead to plant stress, the spread of plant diseases, low fruit yield, and reduced crop quality.
She pointed out that the use of chemicals in agriculture contributes to increasing climate change impacts through the increase of carbon emissions, in contrast to organic farming, which helps reduce climate change effects by limiting these harmful emissions in the air and sequestering them in the soil.
Akiki mentioned that the UAE supports initiatives related to sustainability, climate change, and the environment. A prime example of this is the opportunity provided by the Expo Live Innovation Programme.
She highlighted that the programme helped her gain international exposure by showcasing her project to participants from various countries. Akiki expressed her gratitude to the organisers of the Expo Live Innovation Programme for selecting her enterprise among the 43 projects short-listed for support.
Neglected CropsMaungo Craft in Botswana is one of the companies striving to achieve food security. The company works on utilising lesser-known African fruits and plants, such as the marula fruit, baobab plant, and African yellow watermelon to produce various oils, fruit jams, and award-winning food sauces, said
Bonolo Monthe, the General Manager of Maungo Craft.
The company organised a production chain connecting farmers to producers and developed an agricultural method that reduces water usage for these plants, in addition to creating jobs for women and vulnerable communities.
Despite being aware of companies investing in staple crops like wheat, corn, and rice, the company has focused on reviving other crops that have been “neglected in Africa”, Monthe said.
She mentioned that due to the company’s realisation of the food sector’s contribution to approximately one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, urgent solutions are needed to meet demand without exacerbating climate change and causing more damage to natural diversity and ecosystems.
Therefore, the company has focused on forgotten crops, significantly contributing to solving this dilemma, she noted. Increasing the diversity of crops enhances food security, especially as rising global temperatures threaten existing crops. Forgotten crops are among the most resistant to climate change and offer the best nutritional value. Diversifying food sources is essential for the future of humanity, Monthe added.
She noted that participating in the Expo Live Innovation Programme helped her learn about innovations in sustainability and climate and environmental solutions, serving the policies of governments to combat carbon emissions and protect the planet’s future amid harsh climate occurrences worldwide. These innovations contribute to combating climate change and mitigating its effects, Monthe said.
The UAE’s launch of the Year of Sustainability reflects its pivotal role in raising awareness of sustainability issues locally and globally, being one of the pioneering countries in innovation and efforts in the field of sustainability and achieving a green future for humanity and the planet.
Utilising Aluminium WastePeter Godart, the Co-Founder and CEO of Found Energy in the US, said his project aims to contribute to reducing the impacts of climate change by transforming low-quality aluminum waste into fuel. This enables the aluminum industry to reduce carbon emissions, save on waste disposal costs, and reduce landfills or exporting aluminum waste, thereby reducing environmental impact.
He explained that the company’s focus on aluminum in energy production is due to its being the third most abundant element on Earth. The metal is known for its lightweight, strength, and infinite recyclability, contributing significantly to developing a more sustainable society and making modern life possible.
Godart pointed out Expo Live serves as a global platform to showcase the latest innovations and technologies contributing to finding effective solutions to mitigate the global climate change crisis.
He noted that the UAE has a clear vision regarding sustainability, focusing on investing in clean energy.
Godart said that the upcoming COP28 conference in the UAE will be a platform for world nations to come together to stimulate comprehensive sustainable development.
Computing Technologies Basima Abdulrahman, the founder of KESK in Iraq, relies on integrating solar energy and cloud computing technologies to build alternative energy projects and generate new revenues.
The company offers various applications of smart solar energy solutions for large companies throughout Iraq, in addition to providing the “SaaS” product, which helps clients improve and offset energy costs. It also allows them to convert their carbon dioxide savings into money through carbon credit trading.
Abdulrahman explained the reason for launching the company’s special software programme for remotely monitoring solar energy projects and collecting data about them, given the importance of this type of energy in providing renewable electricity to millions of people around the world, reducing carbon gas emissions, preserving resources for future generations, and achieving financial gains for countries, and much more.
She pointed out that the UAE’s hosting of the COP28 conference is an excellent step towards finding realistic, practical, and logical solutions to environmental problems and climate change.
The country was chosen to host the conference for several reasons, including its determination and strong diplomatic relations with various countries around the world, its logical and realistic view of major international issues like climate change, and its practical experience in the field of sustainability, Abdulrahman said.
She noted that the UAE has a vision that extends not only within its geographical boundaries but also to the Middle East and the entire world, supporting ideas focused on providing real and practical solutions to climate change and environmental issues faced by the world.
Water Production Saeed Alhassan Alkhazraji is the founder of Minhat in the UAE, which innovated a technology to provide water suitable for irrigating crops from water surfaces such as the sea, rivers, and pools. The technology produces water without a carbon footprint, saline solution, or impurities, by mimicking the natural water cycle, and it has won an award from the European Commission.
Alkhazraji explained that the technology traps water vapour from water bodies, which then condenses into water in the evening. Ultimately, the produced water is used to irrigate crops or green spaces, contributing to achieving food security.
He highlighted that the technology provides clean water that is environmentally friendly due to its avoidance of using electricity, which produces harmful carbon dioxide emissions, thus contributing to preserving the environment from carbon emissions by producing pure water beneficial for agriculture.
He mentioned that the technology was nominated to receive support from the Expo Live Innovation Programme, noting his ambition to participate at the COP28 conference.
The conference will provide an opportunity for startups with technologies that contribute to mitigating climate change to showcase their innovations in this field, Alkhazraji said.
The UAE is one of the pioneering countries in supporting sustainability projects, playing a significant role in protecting the environment and finding essential solutions to mitigate global warming. This is evidenced by the establishment of Masdar Company, which is part of the UAE’s plans to protect the environment.
Expo LiveYasmin Baqer, Senior Manager of the Expo Live Innovation Programme in Expo City Dubai, said that active participation in supporting human progress and addressing global challenges is a priority for the UAE.
This is embodied through several initiatives, including the Expo Live Innovation Programme, which continues to offer support to innovators, stimulate innovation and partnership, and accelerate the spread of creative solutions aimed at improving lives everywhere while preserving planet Earth. “The Expo Live Innovation Programme is part of Expo City Dubai’s efforts to achieve its climate goals and make a sustainable impact by supporting influential pioneers working on developing solutions to some of the most significant challenges our world faces,” Baqer said.
Regarding the focus of the sixth edition of the programme and its main objectives, Baqer said: “In line with the Year of Sustainability in the United Arab Emirates, and embodying Expo City Dubai’s commitment to creating positive social, economic, and environmental change, to stimulate creativity and address urgent issues related to climate change in the year when the United Arab Emirates hosts COP28 at Expo City Dubai, the sixth edition focuses on supporting innovations and initiatives related to climate and sustainability. These can be shared, replicated, or scaled to achieve a wide positive impact globally, enhancing collaboration and innovation and their role in human progress.”
“The programme recently welcomed 43 innovators out of 1,200 applicants from 123 countries worldwide. Over three days, they presented their projects addressing different aspects of the climate change issue, such as environmental restoration, carbon, food security, waste, energy, water systems, finance, and vulnerable communities,” she noted.
Regarding tangible impact, Baqer said: “Expo Live has directly and positively impacted 5.8 million people worldwide through its previous five editions, contributed to the restoration of 36 million hectares of land, offset 190,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and saved 6.3 million liters of water.”
“The continued innovation programme [Expo Live] within Expo City Dubai embodies its commitment to the legacy of [Expo 2020 Dubai] and continues the pursuit of achieving a positive local and global impact, making a tangible change and leaving a lasting mark. So far, it has supported 140 global innovators from 76 countries, with nearly a third of the supported projects being related to sustainability and environmental issues,” she concluded.
