Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Oman faces risks from natural disasters

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The Sultanate of Oman faces risks from natural disasters and extreme weather events, according to the recent Global Risks Report 2023 of the World Economic Forum (WEF).


Over the next decade, climate and environmental risks will be the core focus of global risk perceptions.


The Sultanate of Oman has taken several initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change, which include discussing ways of cooperation in the field of green finance for supporting projects, programmes, policies, and other activities related to the green economy.


The goal is to generate 20 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2027.


The comprehensive national strategy for a net-zero carbon economy, the Sultanate of Oman focuses on four main sectors, energy sector (electricity, oil, and gas,) manufacturing, transportation, and the cities and buildings sector.


The government is currently working on updating the climate affairs management regulation in line with local and global developments. The regulation aims to follow up on the performance of companies and establishments in the field of climate affairs, whether in mitigation or adaptation.


Work is also under way to draft a climate change law in cooperation with the relevant authorities, which will be an organisational framework for setting general provisions related to climate affairs issues in the Sultanate of Oman.


The report said that the lack of deep, concerted progress on climate targets had exposed the divergence between what is scientifically necessary to achieve net zero and what is politically feasible.


“Growing demands on public-and private-sector resources from other crises will reduce the speed and scale of mitigation efforts over the next two years, alongside insufficient progress towards the adaptation support required for those communities and countries increasingly affected by the impacts of climate change.” It added that current crises divert resources from risks arising over the medium to longer term. The burdens on natural ecosystems will grow, given their still undervalued role in the global economy and overall planetary health.


Nature loss and climate change are intrinsically interlinked – a failure in one sphere will cascade into the other.


Without significant policy change or investment, the interplay between climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, food security, and natural resource consumption will accelerate ecosystem collapse, threaten food supplies and livelihoods in climate-vulnerable economies, amplify the impacts of natural disasters, and limit further progress on climate mitigation.


@vinot_nair


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