As the Sultanate of Oman makes common cause with the international community in tackling the urgent and potentially catastrophic threats posed by climate change – the central theme of the COP26 Summit opening in the Scottish city of Glasgow today, October 31 – Oman’s delegation to the landmark event will reaffirm the country’s commitment to prioritising climate action as a national developmental goal.
That commitment is enshrined in the National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, adopted by the Omani government in October 2019.
Spanning the 2020–2040 timeframe, the strategy seeks to position the country on a trajectory of “low-emission, climate-resilient growth”. At the same time, it will seek to harness opportunities to drive employment generation, support climate risk management of vulnerable communities, and sustainably steward the nation’s scarce natural resources.
“The development of a comprehensive strategy is a fundamental step in moving forward in the fulfillment of the aspirations of the Paris Agreement of COP-21. To implement the strategy, collective action among stakeholders within Oman will be essential, as well, partnerships with the international community to facilitate the flow of technical and financial resources for undertaking the vision embedded in the strategy,” said government stressed in its submissions to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Those submissions paved the way for the adoption of Oman’s 2nd Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), enshrining the country’s updated commitment to goals set out under the Paris Agreement.
Importantly, the National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation underscores the need to build “resilience to climate change” given Oman’s vulnerability to adverse impacts, such as rising temperatures and sea levels, and the risks posed by increasingly frequent and fierce tropical cyclones.
“Understanding land use, climate, water resources, and agriculture/fisheries are essential context for identifying, designing and implementing preparedness/response measures to reduce the vulnerability of communities, resources, and systems,” officials stressed.
The Climate Change Strategy centres on three key pillars: (i) Climate Science (which seeks to assess historical climate trends and projections of future climate change in Oman), (ii) Vulnerability and Adaption (focusing on strategies to support climate change adaption in five key sectors - water resources; marine biodiversity and fisheries; agriculture, urban areas, tourism & infrastructure; and public health; and (iii) Greenhouse gas mitigation (focusing on strategies contributing to a low-emission development trajectory.
Rising global temperatures, unless urgently reined in, could potentially have disastrous consequences for Oman. In the best case scenario (encapsulated under Representative Concentration Pathway RCP 2.6 – one of many scenarios projected by UN climate specialists), maximum temperatures are anticipated to rise by at least 2 deg C along southern coastal areas of the country.
But in the worst case scenario (envisioned in RCP 8.5), maximum temperatures could soar by 4 deg C above historical levels, with consequences for populations and economic activities across the Interior and Northern parts of the country, including Musandam.
In addition to reductions in annual rainfall, climate changes will also result in dramatic impacts to surface and groundwater resources, with knock-on effects for agriculture, livestock, fishing and even public health. Flash flooding in the wake of unseasonal storms will also pose a more frequent challenge.
An integral part of the Climate Change Adaption and Mitigation Strategy is a commitment to controlling greenhouse gas emissions growth by advocating for a low carbon economy, promoting renewable energy projects, adopting new technologies and driving cost-effective energy efficiency.
Oman’s 2nd Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), approved in July this year, affirms a goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission growth by 7 per cent compared to the business-as-usual scenario. While concrete national initiatives and programmes will contribute about 4 percentage points of this reduction, the balance 3 percentage points can be achieved only by funding assistance in the form of international climate finance agreed under the Paris Accord, the country has stressed.
Caption:
Oman’s technical delegation comprising officials of the Civil Aviation Authority, Environment Authority and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, attending preparatory meetings ahead of the COP26 Summit, due to open in Glasgow today.
(Picture Credit: Civil Aviation Authority)
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
