This week, The National spent a morning with Capt Saleh Ba Abbad, whose 14-strong team maintains the waters around the UAE's ports. As well as rescuing turtles and other animals, the team collected a staggering 120 tonnes of floating debris last year, including abandoned fishing nets, timber and spilt oil. But one particular scourge is more prevalent than the rest: tonnes and tonnes of single-use plastic. This material is by some stretch the chief polluter of the world's oceans.
Plastic has without doubt changed the world. It is used in every aspect of human activity – from toys to rockets – and millions still rely on it for clean drinking water. Versatile, cheap and light, the globe produced some 8.3 billion tonnes of it between the 1950s and 2010. But 80 per cent of that now sits in dumps and the natural environment. Famous for its durability, we are now grappling with the consequences of its desperately slow decomposition. And yet, demand is surging in Asia and elsewhere. Since 2000, the world has produced more plastic than in all the years before then. At long last, people are beginning to understand its dangers. But so much more needs to be done to address this threat – to our planet, its marine life, and ourselves.
As The National reported this week, Egypt's tourism-dependent Red Sea region will soon ban single-use plastic. With its rich marine life and golden beaches, this is as much an economic decision as an environmental one. Egypt uses 12 billion plastic bags per year – just one billion more than the UAE, whose population is far smaller. While a 2018 YouGov survey found that two-thirds of UAE residents are concerned about plastic waste, serious action is required. Supermarket chains including Waitrose have started charging for plastic bags. Other shops should follow suit. And consumers also have a role to play. Most of us use more single-use plastic than we need. Instead, we should consider our environmental footprints. Not least, in deference to the vital work of Capt Abbad and his team of seafaring trash collectors.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million