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The first-ever Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Climate Week runs from March 28 to 31 as one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change seeks ways to address its dire threat.
About 600 million people, or 50 percent of MENA’s population, may be exposed to “super-extreme” weather events by 2100 at current projections, raising questions about “Human survival” in some areas.
While many have made promises to switch to renewable energy and green technology, there are many urgent steps to be taken. These include adaptation to extreme heat, water scarcity and declining food production.
Here’s an interview with Patricia EspinosaExecutive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), who will be in Dubai (UAE) on Monday for the beginning of the conference.
Al Jazeera:This is the United Nations’ first ever Middle East and North Africa Climate Week. What are the main points to be discussed?
Patricia Espinosa:MENA Climate Week offers a platform for business leaders, civil societies, youth, governments, and businesses to come together and engage in solution-oriented dialog and share climate action. It provides a forum for key stakeholders to exchange information and build partnerships to replicate and scale-up action.
MENACW-2022The discussions will be focused on national actions, economy-wide approaches to climate change action, integrated approaches for resilient growth and seizing transformative possibilities. Regional collaboration was a key driver of global progress last year. These discussions will accelerate climate change action even further this year.
Al Jazeera:According to current projections, some parts of MENA could experience temperatures reaching 60 degrees Celsius (140° Fahrenheit) in the next decade, rendering them uninhabitable. What adaptation strategies should governments implement right now?
Espinosa:Governments are working to limit global average temperature rise to 1.5C as part of the climate change process [2.7F] as possible. For some places, such as the MENA, even a slight rise in global average temperature can lead to very hot local conditions. It poses a serious social and economic risk.
Governments should immediately develop and implement national plans for adaptation to climate impacts. These plans will identify the needs and provide strategies to meet them. For developing countries, financial support and finance are essential.
At last November’s UN Climate Change Conference at GlasgowThe governments also agreed that more support for adaptation was needed. The MENA Climate Week offers a chance to make these decisions, discuss regional risks, and work together on solutions.
Al Jazeera: There is debate around the notion that climate change has been responsible for some regional conflicts and the rise of “extremist” armed groups. What is the UN’s view of the relationship between global warming and armed conflict in MENA?
Espinosa:Climate change is a disruptive phenomenon that can affect food security, energy security, and human safety. Climate change is more of a security threat than the potential for serious social disruption and its severity. Climate change is a serious threat to our lives as we know them.
According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, climate change “has a multiplier effect and is an aggravating factor for instability, conflict and terrorism”.
The fundamental building blocks of healthy growth are at risk in the MENA region’s water, agriculture, and energy challenges. This can lead to economic instability and criminality, as well as a loss of economic security. To ensure a more stable, prosperous future, stakeholders in the region need to accelerate climate action.
Al Jazeera:MENA’s governments have long downplayed climate change. Are hydrocarbon-reliant countries now taking the threat more seriously
Espinosa:The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report clearly shows that all countries must take climate change more seriously. We are pushing beyond our planet’s boundaries at our own risk, and some of those borders are already at breaking point. It’s time for every person, government and business to make decisions that reflect and respect those boundaries.
We need to reduce the world’s dependence on hydrocarbons as well as reduce emissions as quickly as possible. Transformative change doesn’t happen overnight. However, if there are firm plans in each sector to reduce emissions within the next two year, it will be a sign that nations are really taking the threat more seriously. Ambitious plans for immediate emissions reductions will also help us get on track to reach our mid-century net-zero goals.
Al Jazeera: Severe water and food scarcity and the mass movement of “climate refugees” have been forecast as temperatures surge in the Middle East and North Africa. How can governments prepare for these dire forecasts?
Espinosa:To avoid the worst, governments and other stakeholders must urgently take action. Climate change will affect all of us economically and socially. We must act together. Governments can do the most by submitting more ambitious NDCs [nationally determined contributions].
They can always revise NDCs by making bold commitments. The best thing stakeholders can do is to change their policies and practices in order to achieve these national climate plans. The first Middle East and North Africa Climate Week will be focusing on climate impacts preparation. Governments and stakeholders can work together to improve their understanding of climate risks, forge new partnerships, and find solutions.
Al Jazeera: Some nations in the region are promoting the “circular carbon economy” model, in which yet-to-be proven carbon capture methods will be employed during the continuation of fossil fuel extraction. Is this viable considering the growing urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Or is this a strategy that undermines ambitious climate policy, including mitigation targets and carbon pricing mechanisms?
Espinosa:It is clear that fossil fuels must be eliminated. No possible solution to climate change can be overlooked if we do this. Innovation should be encouraged and proven solutions should immediately be implemented. We must therefore implement carbon-pricing and renewable energies, as well as other measures, to meet our ambitious climate commitments. We must do this now. Parallel to that, we need to test and deploy unproven technologies if they are capable of transforming our energy systems and helping us achieve our climate change goals.
The MENA Climate Week 2022 provides a platform for key stakeholders to meet and share great ideas. Innovation and collaboration are key to bringing about transformation in the MENA region as well as around the globe. We are eager to hear your ideas now and see how they develop. COP27Egypt.
