Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan, founder of The Climate Tribe, opened the project's first physical home – The Climate Tribe Hub – this week.
Tucked away in the heart of Abu Dhabi, the interactive space serves as a gathering point for climate storytelling, sustainable design, and hands-on workshops.
Every detail, from tables made of date seeds to furniture woven from palm fibres, reflects the UAE’s local materials and artisanal heritage.
“When we created the hub, we didn’t want it to be a static space,” said Hind Al Ghseen, executive director of The Climate Tribe. “We wanted the community to build it – to be part of it. We sought out local makers and brought them together.”
A lifetime of work
Sheikha Shamma is a passionate climate activist. “It started for me when I was a student at Zayed University,” she told a room of climate advocates this week. “My parents decided to go on a humanitarian trip to Mogadishu – I went with them. It was my first time witnessing the impact of a drought on a population.”
That experience left a lasting mark. “While studying business, I realised our economic models were missing something fundamental – the environmental cost. That moment changed everything for me.”
Her other organisation, the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), focuses on policy and corporate alliances, but the Climate Tribe was designed to bring the conversation to a more personal, accessible level. “It provides the human element,” she says.
Global ambition with local heart
Since its founding in 2023, The Climate Tribe has mobilised more than 2,200 people through grassroots initiatives, from tree-planting drives to recycling campaigns.
In total, the group has helped plant 921 trees and divert more than 8,600kg of waste from landfill. Its blend of digital and physical tools – including workshops, tool kits and editorial storytelling – is designed to inspire both behavioural change and systemic action.
According to Ms Al Ghseen, the launch of the hub represents a shift from online engagement to real-world collaboration.
“The Climate Tribe Hub is a true reflection of our values,” she said. “From the materials chosen to the storytelling woven into every corner, it celebrates Emirati heritage and community craftsmanship.”
Initially, the team looked beyond the UAE for climate stories. “We were even planning to film in London,” Ms Al Ghseen said. “But then we realised the UAE was full of untold stories – humble, impactful, and often overlooked. Sustainability here isn’t always commercial. It’s deeply personal.”
The Climate Tribe’s mission remains global – to bring international stories to local audiences and elevate UAE voices on the world stage. But at its heart, the aim is constant: to amplify hope, resilience, and solutions.
When asked whether she believes the world is progressing quickly enough on climate, Sheikha Shamma didn't hesitate.
“No,” she said. “There’s still too much fragmentation. We live in a world of limited resources – we can’t afford to be siloed. We need collaboration more than ever.”
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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