Despite those 0.6% in annual greenhouse gas emissions in the world that come from Egypt, the country is the second largest gas emitter in Africa producers and supplies nearly a third of the continent’s gas, with production expected to increase significantly in the coming years, for both domestic use and export to the EU. Low-income populations, in Egypt and around the world, are disproportionately affected by many of the risks associated with climate change. Due to the expected increase in heatwaves, dust storms, and other extreme weather events, Egypt exposed on the effects of global warming. Let’s see what Egypt is doing about climate change.
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Hosting COP27
Since 1995, the COP summits have served as the main international platform for climate negotiations. In the 2015 Paris Agreement, the goal of limiting the rise in average global temperature to 1.5C (2.7F) over preindustrial levels has been established.
Before the COP27, which took place in the Egyptian city of Sharm El Sheikh, the president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi SAYS that his country will use its position as host to promote the interests of other developing countries, especially in Africa. Despite producing a small share of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, developing countries are among the hardest hit due to the worsening effects of climate change on issues such as insecurity of food, scarcity of water, and intense heat.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi at COP26 in Glasgow | picture loan: Asharq Al-Aswat
Building on a diplomatic effort to seek African support in a dispute with Ethiopia over a Blue Nile project that Cairo considers a threat to its water supplies, Egypt positioning himself as the champion of Africa and the Global South. But to reach it climate goals and achieving a four-fold increase in the contribution of renewables to its power mix by 2030 by scaling up solar and wind projects as well green hydrogen power, the country needs an additional US$246 billion of the fund.
Given the low visibility of ecology and the limitations of civic action, some Egyptians expressed surprise that the government would sponsor the meeting. However, according to Rabab el-Mahdidirector of the Alternative Solutions Research project at the American University in Cairo, which hosted COP27 “forced the government and therefore brought to society a wider discussion about climate change that was missing from the general national debate.”
What Is Egypt Doing About Climate Change?
Over the past two decades, Egypt has made significant efforts to mitigate climate change, including doubling its wind energy production. To cope with increasing water stress, the country is also exploring adaptation activities, such as building desalination plants and flood control infrastructure. This is the first government in the Middle East and North Africa that issues green bonds, which set aside $750 million for sustainable water management and clean public transportation. Since accepting the role of COP27 host almost a year ago, Egypt has revealed various climate-related issues. initiativesincluding plans to turn the popular tourist destination of Sharm el-Sheikh into a “green city”.
Ambassador Wael Aboulmagd and Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, Egypt. Photo by: UNclimatechange / Flickr
However, independent climate watchdogs such as the Climate Change Performance Index and the Climate Action Tracker have criticized the country’s overall climate strategy as vague and unambitious. Natural gas and other fossil fuels, which done of about 90% of the country’s capacity for power generation in 2019, contributed to the issue. Cairo, which is one of the cities with low income claims they must be able to use fossil fuels to expand their economies until they are able to move to sustainable energy, want to develop the country’s production of oil and natural gas.
Egypt’s lack of enthusiasm for reducing emissions has also drawn some criticism. Cairo has updated its nationally determined contribution (NDC) – the country’s voluntary strategy for cutting its own emissions – more than a year after the Paris Agreement deadline. In addition to relying on foreign aid, Egypt’s new NDC lacks a specific goal for achieving net-zero emissions, like many other countries. Plus, Cairo too places more emphasis on adaptation than emission reduction in the 2022 National Climate Change Strategy.
Violation of Human Rights
As the massive conference was held in a Red Sea resort town with five-star hotels and soft, sandy beaches, human rights organizations and activists accused Egypt of greenwashing – the practice of making claims about environmental friendliness in order to improve one’s reputation. They urged world leaders to attend the COP27 conference that address the Egyptian government about alleged human rights violations, particularly in how it handles political detainees.
Protesters in Cairo, Egypt. Photo by Kuni Takahashi/Getty Images
In a recent report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Egyptian government has “severely restricted” the capacity of environmental groups to do their work through intimidation, harassment, and arrests, leading some activists to leave the country. Some environmental advocacy organizations stated concerns over the Egyptian government’s tight control over planned protests and restrictions on the number of civil society organizations allowed to attend COP27. These restrictions left only a small number of demonstrations permitted in an area cordoned off by the conference.
Fears of Future COPs
The oil and gas sectors ACCEPT two-thirds of all foreign investment in Egypt. In addition, China shares a lot of large infrastructure projects in the country, while Russia funding the El-Dabaa nuclear power station, whose construction will begin later this year. Because some of the major emitters are also some of the countries that Egypt maintains close relations with, the African country accused to double fossil fuels by preventing opposition.
Another concern about the influence of fossil fuel producers in international climate talks is growing among climate experts and activists such as the United Arab Emirates, one of the largest oil producers. exporters in the world. The UAE will lead the next round of COP28 UN climate talks will begin in late November next year. Oil and gas, which make up nearly 30% of the country’s GDP, also account for about 13% of the country’s exports. The construction and transportation sectors, among others, are also financially dependent on fossil fuels. At least 636 pro-fossil fuel lobbyists attended the COP27 discussions in Egyptand 70 of them have ties to oil and gas businesses in the UAE.
The president of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, addressed Cop27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. Photo by: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Russia and the UAE have close ties, which is another cause for concern. Russia, a mayor producers of oil and gas, ranks fourth in the world for greenhouse gas emissions, and gas production facilities are a significant source of the potent greenhouse gas methane. Since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February, there has been a steady influx of Russians funds to the UAE, including cooperation in the energy sector and increasing Russian oil imports so that the UAE can sell more of itself.
Featured image: Yasmine Fouad, Egypt’s environment minister. Photo by IISD/ENB
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