When Kedar Iyer first moved to Dubai from Paris he could have easily done what most expatriates do upon arriving - rent or hire a car. But instead of shopping for the latest SUV, the digital media specialist checked out carpools, taxis and bus routes. After measuring his environmental footprint 18 months ago he went one step further and now walks and takes the Dubai Metro.
Speaking of his former habits, he said: "If everyone on the planet lived like me, we would need 13 planets. I decided to bring down my [carbon] footprint to five, which is the global average." Mr Iyer, 31, is one of a minority in the UAE who choose to walk and use public transport. In 2008, for a second time, the UAE was ranked the country with the highest per-capita environmental footprint, largely due to greenhouse gases released by power plants and vehicles. Driving less, carpooling and taking public transport are recommended ways to reduce emissions.
Peyman Younes Parham, a spokesman for the Roads and Transport Authority, said a year after the metro opened, 130,000 trips were made every day. "Hopefully this will lead to the formation of habits," he said. Mohamed Parham al Awadhi, an Emirati restaurateur living in Dubai, is one example. One day this spring, he took his car in for a service and "kind of left it there". "I don't think it is the right thing to go through life carelessly and selfishly," said Mr al Awadhi. "Of course with the car I can be there [at work] a lot quicker but I asked myself, 'At what cost does this come?' There is going to be an impact for everything you do in life."
Mr al Awadhi, 36, who runs a restaurant, Wild Peeta, with his brother, said the summer heat has made it more difficult to walk outside. "Not all bus stops have shades or air-conditioned shelters," he said. "I wear the khandoura, must always have a lot of water handy and always wear a cap," he said. Mr Iyer said opting for public transport saved time and stress. "Driving is a waste of time," he said. "When our company office was in Deira, everyone would spend 45 minutes... looking for parking. On the metro I can read a book or talk to friends." @Email:vtodorova@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
