Seven of the elderly residents died on the scene from smoke inhalation, while three others were rushed to hospital in critical condition, but did not survive
During his fourth visit to the campus of American University of Dubai on Wednesday, he enlightened a packed auditorium about causes that he and the Clinton Foundation are championing across the globe: equality, stability and sustainability. He said the smartest thing the region could do was to invest in education opportunities for a new economy that would be independent of oil revenue.
For him, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero-waste city, is the most encouraging initiative that the country has taken.
“The message that the UAE is sending to the rest of the world is: ‘we don’t deny the reality of climate change, we know we have made some contribution to it by making a fortune out of selling oil, we know oil will not last forever and we can build a diversified and more balanced economy’.”
He said dependence on oil is required for some things but the UAE can reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by maximising the use of energy from the sun and wind and energy-efficient building materials. “There are thousands of things that you can do here,” he said.
Creating an energy independent economy will in turn help democratise education as more children will need to attend schools and go to university to create a workforce. “You can’t possibly achieve this unless you give people opportunities in education,” he said.
With a month to go for the Copenhagen deal on climate change, Clinton recounted the achievements of four nations that turned their economy while reducing carbon emissions as laid down in the Kyoto protocol of 1997 and expressed his regret on the US’s absence from the deal. The deal mandated that 44 industrialised countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 2012.
“Only four will meet their target. But it is interesting what happened to those countries. Before the economy collapsed, they were outperforming all of the other rich countries in terms of jobs they created, the businesses they started and their success in reducing income inequality while it was exploding all over the world,” said Clinton.
“What leads people to suicide bombing? They think they have more to gain in the next world than this one. They believe change is not possible through reason and efforts and believe tomorrow will be just like yesterday.”
Clinton left the hall of awe-struck students with the parting remark: “You can make a difference… To make a difference, you need to answer the ‘how’ questions — How are you going to do it? They are at the centre of what the world will be like when you are at my age.”
Seven of the elderly residents died on the scene from smoke inhalation, while three others were rushed to hospital in critical condition, but did not survive
A felony conviction could disrupt Boeing's ability to secure government contracts such as those with the US military
Foreign portfolio investments shrinking with overseas investors pulling $2.8 billion from rupiah government bonds and its stock market until June this year
The top priority for travellers is fully understanding the specific limitations around what losses or incidents would qualify for payouts under their chosen insurance policy
A brigade consists of between 3,000 and 7,000 troops, so generating 35 to 50 more such units would present a significant challenge
The move follows a one-day walkout in June, the first such collective action at the company, which went decades without unionisation
The Audi RS3 Sportback is the superhero hot hatch version of the tame Audi A3 commuter
Four off-duty police officers attacked while returning home in Alice Springs