Driven by the growing urgency to find solutions to the challenges posed by regional water shortages and the world's ongoing reliance on non-sustainable energy sources, this week, 30,000 participants from 150 countries, including global leaders in the fields or energy and water, participated in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. By encouraging dialogue between industry, science, governments and civil society, three conferences -- The World Future Energy Summit, the International Water Summit and the Abu Dhabi International Renewable Energy Conference-- together, sought to promote investment in water access and speed up global adoption of renewable energy. This Newsletter includes highlights from IPS' Terra Viva coverage from Abu Dhabi.
A. D. McKenzie
Would those long treks through airport corridors become more tolerable if travellers knew they were creating electricity with each weary footstep? Some enterprising young people at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi certainly think so. They dream of installing piezoelectricity ... MORE >>
Naresh Newar
Arid countries across the globe are finding themselves high and dry, with not enough groundwater to slake the thirst of both food crops and people. But for coastal states, there is an obvious solution, although it is often energy-intensive. “The only option left for those countries is to ... MORE >>
Thalif Deen
The volatile politics of the Middle East have long been dominated by the fluctuating fortunes of a single commodity: oil. But when the oil-blessed region runs out of water, there could be a change in the political landscape, triggering potential conflicts. The world’s future wars, experts ... MORE >>
Kitty Stapp
Innovative high schools in Mexico, Britain, Tanzania and Abu Dhabi that aim to power classrooms with solar, biogas, wind and other sustainable energy sources were among the winners of the 2013 Zayed Future Energy Prize awards, held at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. “We believe that investing ... MORE >>
Zofeen Ebrahim
With Abu Dhabi holding the world's fifth largest oil reserve and sixth largest gas reserve - enough hydrocarbons to last another hundred years - one might wonder why the emirate has jumped into the global fray of renewable energy and clean technologies. The answer is simple, says Omar Zaafrani, ... MORE >>
Zofeen Ebrahim
Boasting a yellow two-person convertible run on hydrogen gas and free bottles of Tokyo tap water, the Japanese pavilion at the Water and Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi seemed to pull the most crowds. It was also a sign of the growing interest of Japanese companies in the United Arab Emirates’ capital ... MORE >>
Thalif Deen
When Jordan's Queen Rania Al Abdullah took the podium to address world political and business leaders at a back-to-back energy and water summit here, she said she was representing a country that relies on imports for over 90 percent of its energy needs. Judging by her grim assessment, the energy ... MORE >>
Thalif Deen
Amidst a growing water crisis in the predominantly arid Middle East and North Africa (MENA), some of the world's most influential water experts will meet Jan. 15-17 at the International Water Summit (IWS) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) to look for sustainable solutions. The World Bank ... MORE >>
Tell-a-colleague