Arab Environment Forum discusses challenges of climate change
Published: 06:10 AM,Oct 25,2023 | EDITED : 10:10 AM,Oct 25,2023
The second edition of the Arab Environment Forum 2023 opened on Tuesday at Al Bustan Palace Hotel with the theme, 'Together we face climate challenges
Muscat: The second edition of the Arab Environment Forum 2023 opened on Tuesday at Al Bustan Palace Hotel with the theme, 'Together we face climate challenges to achieve water and food security.' The two-day forum will have four sessions. The first session on Tuesday looked at climate change and its effects on food security and water resources. The visiting experts also discussed how the planet's triple crisis can enhance water and food security.
The third session on Wednesday will look at the relationship between drought and desertification in food and water systems. Session four will look at investing in innovation and strategic foresight in the Arab World towards a sustainable global environmental agenda.
'On the second day, in the final part, there will be ministerial discussions that will look at the outcome of the forum on the climatic impact on food and water security,' explained Dr Mohammed al Kalbani, Director-General of Environment Authority.
'Oman is also hosting the Arab ministers responsible for the Environment on Thursday, and we are also looking forward to some recommendations as an outcome of this forum. Oman has taken many measures under His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik's guidance. Regarding this, many projects are going on now in coordination with other ministries such as the Ministry of Energy and Minerals,' he explained.
Oman has also adopted the climate action for mitigation and adaptation strategy in 2019; we are now updating the strategy and working on the transparency reports, said Dr Mohammed.
Dr Mahmoud Fathallah, Director of the Environmental and Meteorological Affairs Dept, Arab League, said the forum is to discuss climate change and its impact on the Arab countries and how to deal with this problem, especially in mitigations and policies with adaptation.
'The Arab countries have limited CO2 emissions, and we are heavily impacted by the climate change resulting in floods, storms and different extreme events,' he reflected.
He said this forum will work on a platform to discuss the problem with academia, experts and policymakers from the region.
'This is a good opportunity to discuss the challenge and look at policy implications and policy outcome from this forum; the participants are mainly looking forward to policy recommendations amending some rules and procedures while dealing with climate change,' he noted.
He also pointed out that Arab countries have many initiatives that can be used as best practices for other countries to implement.
'Arab countries have different experiences, such as the green initiative of Saudi Arabia, Egypt's initiative on water resources in agriculture, Oman's planting trees - discussing these initiatives in the forum may have a good impact for enhancing experience with the climate change, especially in adaptation for other countries,' he said.
Drought is a major problem because it has affected the food supply in the area. It is resulting in Arab countries becoming food importers. This is considered a major concern regarding food security in the region.
Climate change has also been affecting countries for generating Hydropower.
In his comments to the Observer, Ayman Eltalouny, Head of the Saudi Environment Sustainability Programme, Environment Programme (UNEP), said only last year, with the drought hitting the world, Hydropower was reduced by almost 9 per cent globally.
'We live in a region that is having a problem of water scarcity, having harsh climatic conditions, and facing drastic, dramatic, extreme weather conditions over the last two decades. We have seen the hurricanes, the cyclones, which surprisingly have begun to hit these regions,' he pointed out.
He said Oman has been one of the leading countries in setting the standards in preparedness plans for dealing with emergencies since the Gonu time.
'I think it can be used as a rule. Oman can be used as a role model for dealing with such a crisis,' he said.
Food security has been an issue in the last 40 years, especially with the doubling of the population in the region from 450 million to 700 million by 2050, which is the expected figure, according to him.
'Even without unforeseen circumstances and tensions, we have a food and water security programme. In this forum, we're trying to create a real platform connecting policy which science leading the way to sustainable decision process and in shaping the regional and international environmental agenda,' he said.
The forum is organised in the Sultanate of Oman in coordination with the Arab League in addition to the United Nations Environment Programme. The previous session was conducted in Egypt.
The third session on Wednesday will look at the relationship between drought and desertification in food and water systems. Session four will look at investing in innovation and strategic foresight in the Arab World towards a sustainable global environmental agenda.
'On the second day, in the final part, there will be ministerial discussions that will look at the outcome of the forum on the climatic impact on food and water security,' explained Dr Mohammed al Kalbani, Director-General of Environment Authority.
'Oman is also hosting the Arab ministers responsible for the Environment on Thursday, and we are also looking forward to some recommendations as an outcome of this forum. Oman has taken many measures under His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik's guidance. Regarding this, many projects are going on now in coordination with other ministries such as the Ministry of Energy and Minerals,' he explained.
Oman has also adopted the climate action for mitigation and adaptation strategy in 2019; we are now updating the strategy and working on the transparency reports, said Dr Mohammed.
Dr Mahmoud Fathallah, Director of the Environmental and Meteorological Affairs Dept, Arab League, said the forum is to discuss climate change and its impact on the Arab countries and how to deal with this problem, especially in mitigations and policies with adaptation.
'The Arab countries have limited CO2 emissions, and we are heavily impacted by the climate change resulting in floods, storms and different extreme events,' he reflected.
He said this forum will work on a platform to discuss the problem with academia, experts and policymakers from the region.
'This is a good opportunity to discuss the challenge and look at policy implications and policy outcome from this forum; the participants are mainly looking forward to policy recommendations amending some rules and procedures while dealing with climate change,' he noted.
He also pointed out that Arab countries have many initiatives that can be used as best practices for other countries to implement.
'Arab countries have different experiences, such as the green initiative of Saudi Arabia, Egypt's initiative on water resources in agriculture, Oman's planting trees - discussing these initiatives in the forum may have a good impact for enhancing experience with the climate change, especially in adaptation for other countries,' he said.
Drought is a major problem because it has affected the food supply in the area. It is resulting in Arab countries becoming food importers. This is considered a major concern regarding food security in the region.
Climate change has also been affecting countries for generating Hydropower.
In his comments to the Observer, Ayman Eltalouny, Head of the Saudi Environment Sustainability Programme, Environment Programme (UNEP), said only last year, with the drought hitting the world, Hydropower was reduced by almost 9 per cent globally.
'We live in a region that is having a problem of water scarcity, having harsh climatic conditions, and facing drastic, dramatic, extreme weather conditions over the last two decades. We have seen the hurricanes, the cyclones, which surprisingly have begun to hit these regions,' he pointed out.
He said Oman has been one of the leading countries in setting the standards in preparedness plans for dealing with emergencies since the Gonu time.
'I think it can be used as a rule. Oman can be used as a role model for dealing with such a crisis,' he said.
Food security has been an issue in the last 40 years, especially with the doubling of the population in the region from 450 million to 700 million by 2050, which is the expected figure, according to him.
'Even without unforeseen circumstances and tensions, we have a food and water security programme. In this forum, we're trying to create a real platform connecting policy which science leading the way to sustainable decision process and in shaping the regional and international environmental agenda,' he said.
The forum is organised in the Sultanate of Oman in coordination with the Arab League in addition to the United Nations Environment Programme. The previous session was conducted in Egypt.