Joining forces to meet the challenge of
climate change
Cairo, Egypt, 17 June, 2015
H.E. Ambassador James Moran, Head of EU
Delegation to Egypt
June 17th is climate action day.
By: Mohamed Adel
Voltaire
said 'Men argue. Nature acts'. When it comes to climate change, now more than
ever we need to take a leaf out of nature's book and act together.
The
international community is working for a new global climate deal in Paris at
the UN climate conference this December. Countries are expected to come forward
with their contributions well in advance of that event so as to enable all of
us to agree a robust and dynamic deal that is fit for present and future
purpose, with the overriding aim of keeping the global temperature rise below
2°Celsius.
Contributions
need to be as ambitious as possible and reflect parties' responsibilities and
capabilities. The level of ambition from the G20 countries that account for 75%
of global emissions will be decisive, as will the offers from other major
countries, like Egypt , The EU was the first major
international entity to submit its contribution to the new agreement and
already many countries, including key players such as the US, China and Mexico,
have followed.
It
is clear that the Paris deal must also deliver more than simply reducing
emissions. We need to be ready to support those most vulnerable to climate
change who lack the means to cope with its negative consequences. And we need
to push forward cooperation in adapting to climate change.
The
threat to Egypt
Even
with a 2 Celsius rise in temperature, Egypt will most likely be seriously
affected by climate change, particularly
because of the large increase in projected heat extremes, substantial reduction
in water availability and the associated negative effects on agricultural
productivity and general welfare. About a third of the land could be affected.
Crop
yield declines, coupled with climate impacts in other grain-producing regions
would contribute to increasing food prices. Population increase and growing
food import dependency will only worsen such risks.
Deteriorating
rural livelihoods could spur internal and international migration, adding
further stress on urban infrastructure, with associated risks for poor
migrants. Migration and climate related pressure on natural resources,
especially water might also undermine social stability.
Sea-level
rise caused by warming will also threaten heavily populated coastal areas,
notably Alexandria and the Delta.
Egypt’s
leadership in addressing climate change,
The
importance of Egypt for achieving a meaningful deal at the Paris Climate Summit
is indisputable. Egypt is both one of the largest economies and the largest net
producer of emissions in the region.
Egypt
also chairs the African Ministerial Conference for Environment (AMCEN) and has
an important role in the group of Arab countries in the climate negotiations.
The
Minister of Environment and his team
actively support and drive the process to build the capacity of Egypt and of
other African countries in coordinating their approach to climate negotiations
and to be well prepared for Paris.
I
very much hope that Egypt will soon be able to submit its national proposals
for Paris, not only because of its own importance but also because, given its
leadership role it could pave the way for others in the region and the African
continent. Given the time needed to complete the complex and demanding global
negotiation ahead time is now running short.
I
am confident that such efforts will be fully complemented by the Green Climate
Fund, which is currently in the making, and received the resounding support of
the G7 countries meeting in Germany last week, where a strong commitment to
climate finance of US$ 100 Billion per annum was made by the leaders
EU action in Egypt
The
EU has committed to devote at least 20% of its global development assistance
funding to climate action. In Egypt we already do significantly more than that,
with over a third of our assistance impacting on the problem...
Adaptation
to, and mitigation of climate change are important priorities for our
assistance programme here. Over 400 million Euros of current EU grant
assistance in Egypt is climate relevant, and part of this has also helped
leverage additional concessional loans from the European Investment Bank and
other EU development Banks of some 4.65 Billion Euros. A number of EU member
states are also involved in their own right, through their various bilateral
programmes.
We
are working throughout the country, supporting renewable and clean energy,
energy efficiency, transport, sanitation, water and waste management, pollution
abatement, housing and agriculture.
Our
assistance in the water sector also focusses on a climate relevant integrated
approach to water resources management. And there are other adaptation
programmes covering areas such as energy efficiency in the housing sector,
integrated coastal zone management, agriculture and disaster risk reduction.
We
are fully committed to doing our part in meeting this enormous challenge and
are working assiduously for a successful conclusion in December and the enhanced
efforts on the ground that will follow.
In
short, Paris is an historic opportunity that we cannot afford to miss. In our
joint interest, and above all for the good of all our children, we must rise to
the challenge. Joining forces with Egypt and the world at large is the only way
to do it.
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