Today's Edition
ISIDORA CIRIC (DUBAI)
A sixteen-year-old Emirati innovator, Mariam Hassan Al Ghafri, is making significant strides in environmental and technological innovation. With over two dozen inventions to her name, Mariam represents the new wave of young Emirati minds dedicated to creating a sustainable future.
Her participation in COP28 with the “Echo of the Environment City” project highlights her commitment to environmental activism and technological advancement. She told Aletihad that she sees COP28 not only as a platform to elevate youth voices in climate action, but also as an opportunity to implement these voices in decision-making processes. Her role as one of seven Emirati UNICEF Youth Advocates for COP28 holds a special place in her heart, she added.
“I realised that it’s important to spread awareness. The best way to do it is by spreading awareness from youth to youth, or a child to a child. In that way, the community will be able to work together with youth, adults, and children to find solution for climate action,” Mariam said.
“Echo of the Environment City” is a testament to Mariam’s vision of a sustainable urban future. This project is a model city designed to harness environmental elements effectively, with a unique inclined structure that facilitates rainwater collection, directing it to specific areas for reuse, such as vertical farms.
This innovation is one of eight sustainable concepts integrated into the city’s design, Mariam revealed to Aletihad, noting that this project has received intellectual property rights from the Minister of Economy.
“This innovation consists of eight sustainable ideas - rainwater harvesting, vertical farming, solar panel tracking that will track the sunlight - generating energy the whole day, a vertical wind turbine suitable to the climate of the UAE, an automatic streetlight and cycling systems, sustainable houses, and a smart city centre that will control the whole city,” she said.
Another groundbreaking innovation by Mariam is the “Third Eye” project, inspired by personal experience, which is a device that aims to prevent suffocation in vehicles by using a combination of weight and CO2 sensors.
“The innovation that I came up with, it’s called the Third Eye, and aims to actually prevent kids or any living thing from suffocating in vehicles, such as cars and buses,” she explained. Her invention differs from others on the market, as it will include the two sensors, which she programmed herself to track the levels of CO2 in vehicles.
The device is equipped with an advanced alarm and notification system. If it detects that someone has been stuck in the vehicle, it will send notifications to the vehicle owner’s phone, sound off a loud alarm to attract the attention of bystanders, and send alerts directly to emergency services, ensuring immediate action on multiple fronts.
Furthermore, Mariam’s “Braille OCR Translator” is a remarkable invention that translates printed or written text into Braille, and includes a sound system, making education more accessible to the visually impaired. This innovation also received intellectual property recognition from the UAE’s Minister of Economy.
Mariam’s achievements extend beyond her inventions. She is a member of the Friends of the Environment Association and has been recognised for her contributions, including winning the Innovation Award for the Environment at the Arab World level in 2021 and the Environment Award for Children from the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
The young inventor is also an author, having written and published two stories for children, “2071” and “We are the Renewable Energy”, aimed at teaching children about climate change. These are published in Arabic, with plans for English translation, and are distributed for free, ensuring accessibility for all children.
“I signed an agreement with the Supreme Council of Motherhood and Childhood that these books won’t be sold. Instead, they will be given away to kids for free, so that everyone will be able to get the book and be educated,” Mariam said.
Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), has had a significant influence on Mariam’s journey.
The young innovator said that Sheikha Fatima’s support for children’s opportunities in the UAE has been instrumental in instituting platforms like the Emirati Children’s Parliament, where young voices like hers are heard and valued.
“First of all, I would really like to thank Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, for a lot of what she has done for us. She is the Chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Mother and Childhood - that’s the place where I actually started to feel that my voice is being heard,” she said.
Mariam also expressed great pride that her home country, the UAE, is the host of this year’s COP28 edition.
“It is an honour for me to be Emirati. And what makes me even more happy is that this is the first COP where we see that kids and youth are actually negotiating. And this will even help future COPs to include kids in the decision-making process. Us as kids, we are the least heard in climate change, but we are the most affected by it,” she explained.
Looking ahead, Mariam is set to continue her advocacy and innovation, with plans to introduce more inventions related to climate change. Her advice to other young people is to never underestimate the power of small ideas, as “small ideas serve the nation”.
