Egypt
UN climate talks near halftime with key issues unresolved
As the U.N. climate talks in Egypt near the half-way point, negotiators are working hard to draft deals on a wide range of issues they’ll put to ministers next week in the hope of getting a substantial result by the end.
The two-week meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh started with strong appeals from world leaders for greater efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and help poor nations cope with global warming.
Scientists say the amount of greenhouse gases being pumped into the atmosphere needs to be halved by 2030 to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord. The 2015 pact set a target of ideally limiting temperature rise to 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, but left it up to countries to decide how they want to do so.
Read more: Climate Change: Int’l community must act with fund and solutions to help most vulnerable nations
With impacts from climate change already felt across the globe, particularly by the world’s poorest, there has also been a push by campaigners and developing nations for rich polluters to stump up more cash. This would be used to help developing countries shift to clean energy and adapt to global warming; increasingly there are also calls for compensation to pay for climate-related losses.
Here is a look at the main issues on the table at the COP27 talks and how they might be reflected in a final agreement.
KEEPING COOL
The hosts of last year’s talks in Glasgow said they managed to “keep 1.5 alive,” including by getting countries to endorse the target in the outcome document. But U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has warned that the temperature goal is on life support “and the machines are rattling.” And campaigners were disappointed that agenda this year doesn’t explicitly cite the threshold after pushback from some major oil and gas exporting nations. The talks’ chair, Egypt, can still convene discussions on putting it in the final agreement.
CUTTING EMISSIONS
Negotiators are trying to put together a mitigation work program that would capture the various measures countries have committed to reducing emissions, including for specific sectors such as energy and transport. Many of these pledges are not formally part of the U.N. process, meaning they cannot easily be scrutinized at the annual meeting. A proposed draft agreement circulated early Saturday had more than 200 square brackets, meaning large sections were still unresolved. Some countries want the plan to be valid only for one year, while others say a longer-term roadmap is needed. Expect fireworks in the days ahead.
SHUNNING FOSSIL FUELS
Last year’s meeting almost collapsed over a demand to explicitly state in the final agreement that coal should be phased out. In the end, countries agreed on several loopholes, and there are concerns among climate campaigners that negotiators from nations which are heavily dependent on fossil fuels for their energy needs or as revenue might try to roll back previous commitments.
MONEY MATTERS
Rich countries have fallen short on a pledge to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020 in climate finance for poor nations. This has opened up a rift of distrust that negotiators are hoping to close with fresh pledges. But needs are growing and a new, higher target needs to be set from 2025 onward.
COMPENSATION
The subject of climate compensation was once considered taboo, due to concerns from rich countries that they might be on the hook for vast sums. But intense pressure from developing countries forced the issue of ‘loss and damage’ onto the formal agenda at the talks for the first time this year. Whether there will be a deal to promote further technical work or the creation of an actual fund remains to be seen. This could become a key flashpoint in the talks.
In Egypt, host of COP27, a small step toward green energy
From a distance, the endless landscape of solar panels stretching toward the horizon can easily be mistaken for crops nearing harvest. But here in the desert in southern Egypt, workers have been cultivating another precious commodity: electricity.
After the sun strikes the photovoltaic solar panels, a thermal charge generates electricity that runs to four government-owned power stations distributing power across Egypt's national grid.
It's part of the country's push to increase renewable energy production. With near-perpetual sunshine and windy Red Sea coastlines, experts say Egypt is well-positioned to go green.
Read more: COP27: Bangladesh wants developed countries to deliver on $100 billion promise
Yet it is also a developing country and like many others faces obstacles in making the switch. Much of its infrastructure depends on fossil fuels to power the nation of some 104 million people.
The solar panel farm — Egypt's flagship project named Benban, after a local village — puts it at the African continent's forefront when it comes to renewable energy. But questions remain over Egypt’s long-term green energy strategy, and whether there are enough incentives for the cash-strapped government to supply 42% of the country's electricity from renewable resources by 2035, as it has announced.
Karim el-Gendy, an expert at Chatham House who specializes in urban sustainability and climate policy, says Egypt has failed to meet its goal of having 20% of its electricity sourced from renewables by 2022. The current figure is now closer to 10%, according to according to the International Energy Agency.
There's less demand for solar energy, partly due to the influx of natural gas, thanks to new discoveries located in Egypt's section of the Mediterranean Sea.
“We have seen less interest in the past couple of years in integrated renewable energy projects in Egypt, both in terms of solar, in the south, and wind,” he said.
As host of this year’s global climate summit, known as COP27 and now underway in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt has said it will pressure other nations to implement climate promises made at previous conferences. Egypt is not bound by any carbon emissions cap, but it has vowed to mitigate and curb its emission rises across key polluting sectors, such as electricity and transport.
Its use of natural gas has also helped, allowing Egypt to move away from burning coal and oil, much dirtier industries — but nevertheless, gas is still a fossil fuel.
The government has revealed few details on how it will implement or finance the 2035 vision. Foreign investment will likely play a big part, as countries in Europe look south for solar power. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has allotted $10 billion of funding for over 150 projects across Egypt, with Benban claimed as one of its major successes.
The sprawling farm is designed to grow as demand for solar energy increases.
‘‘It offers great potential for us and other investors,’’ said Faisal Eissa, general manager for Egypt at Lekela, a Dutch company that has invested in Benban.
Read more: COP27: Bangladesh prioritises realisation of green climate fund, Environment Minister tells UNB
Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority claims Benban has already reduced the country's annual greenhouse emission output. But there is still a long way to go. In 2020, renewables accounted for 6% of Egypt’s energy consumption, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, with petroleum products accounting for 36% and natural gas for 57%. Coal accounted for just 1%.
Egypt may also have less of an incentive to invest in renewables as it grapples with domestic challenges, including an economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Russia's war in Ukraine and a years-long government crackdown on dissent. Last month, Cairo reached a preliminary deal with the International Monetary Fund that would allow access to a $3 billion loan.
Effects of climate change are already being felt in the Nile River Delta, where rising seas have brought on creeping salt that eats away roots and cakes farms, devastating the livelihoods of Egyptian farmers.
The Arab world’s most populous country accounts for only 0.6% of global carbon dioxide emissions. But it faces high levels of urban pollution. Most of the population lives in densely packed neighborhoods along the fertile banks of the Nile and its northern delta. Here, car fumes and mass transport running on diesel clog the streets. Egyptians’ exposure to air pollution is, on average, 13 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended guidelines. It was responsible for 90,559 premature deaths in 2019, according to statistics gathered by the United Nations.
The country's congested capital city of Cairo is the second top source of greenhouse gas emissions, after the giant offshore Zohr gas field, according to the Climate TRACE.
The remaining 90% of Egypt's land is uninhabitable desert. By better utilizing the vast expanse and coastlines, the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency said the North African country could generate over half of its electricity from renewables by 2030.
It's a different way of viewing the country's sun-scorched landscape.
“People here have started to look at the sun as a source of power," said Ahmed Mustafa, who runs one of the area's many new logistics companies that work alongside Benban's developers and engineers, supplying them with equipment.
For the locals, the solar farm has been transformative. Thousands worked at the site when it was under construction, and many stayed as technicians and cleaners once it became fully functional.
Ultimately, the development of more wind and solar capabilities will come down to what makes business sense for the government, despite its expressions of good intent, according to el-Gendy.
‘’The need to expand its renewable sector all depends on Egypt’s commercial interests,’’ he said.
What can COP27 do for climate vulnerable countries?
As a result of continuous and rapid changes in climate, natural disasters - such as sea level rise, floods, droughts, river erosion, cyclones, and salinity - are becoming more extreme and destructive with time. It is affecting all the continents of the world. The impacts of climate change are causing loss of crops, and agricultural productions challenging the food security of the world today. In simple words, climate change is threatening the safety of life and property of people and animals around the world.
To fight these issues, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) comes in. This 27th edition of the climate conference known as COP27 will take place in November, 2022. Let’s focus on what COP27 can achieve for the climate change affected countries.
What is COP27?
‘Cop’ means ‘Conference of the Parties. It is a United Nations initiative. In 1995, the first conference of COP was held in Berlin, Germany, which took place in a different country every year.
These conventions serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC (Conference of the Parties, COP) parties to discuss progress in attempting to alleviate the effects of climate change, and they began attending discussions beginning roughly in the mid-1990s. The conference also negotiated the Kyoto Protocol with an aim to establish legally binding obligations for developed countries to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions.
Read Huge work ahead of COP27; commitments need to turn into action: Robert Dickson
This year COP27 will take place at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6 to November 18. However, COP 27 was initially expected to occur from November 8-20, 2021. But, due to covid 19 pandemic, COP 26 was rescheduled from November 2020 to November 2021. That led to COP 27 from November 2021 to November 2022.
As of 2019, 197 countries have become UNFCCC members. So, this year it is expected that all the member countries will meet with their valuable proposal for the sake of the environment.
UNFCCC COP27 is going to be an important event regarding environmental pollution and climate change. The conference discusses the risks and solutions to climate change. This event is promising because it will help to create a consensus on how to prevent global climate change.
Read Bangladesh-UK Partnership: Experts to discuss priority climate actions Friday
What Should COP27 Achieve for the Vulnerable Countries?
The COP conference should aim to provide a space for vulnerable countries to share their experiences, learn from each other, and create new ideas on how to prevent climate issues. This would help reduce the risk of another devastating conflict in the future.
Mitigation
COP26 was the very first test of the Paris Agreement’s goal-raising function for mitigating climate change. In other words, preventing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Yet it fell short of reaching its objectives.
By the end of this century, if member states would implement all changes from the ‘nationally determined contributions or ‘NDCs,’ it would still be predicted that the world’s average temperature would rise by 2.4 degrees Celsius. The COP26 final outcome urges all the parties to increase their targets by 2030 to become compatible with NDCs by 2022. Therefore, COP27 is more significant than the previous COPs.
So, COP27 should achieve a mitigation plan so that the vulnerable countries’ risk gets reduced in the long run.
Read How Can One Person Reduce Environmental Pollution?
Adaptation
The COP26 urges the developed countries to double the adaptation financing along with the launch of a two-year work program towards the Global Goal Adaption (GGA). The GGA conducts international support to lessen the vulnerability of countries to climate change and adapt to the environment through holistic, sustainable development.
Vulnerable countries have been seeking assistance for decades. And it is expected that COP27 will bring out a proper adaptation plan for the affected countries.
Finance
The COP26 summit was a major point of frustration and anger for many developing nations. In particular, they expressed frustration and anger at the failure to deliver on promises of regular financing to assist them in adaptation and mitigation efforts.
There should be a move toward fulfilling historic pledges to provide annual climate financing of $100 billion from 2020 to 2025 every year, but those commitments are yet to be met. So, COP27 can be a milestone for vulnerable countries in getting their expected financing for mitigation and adaptation plans.
Read Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants
Global Stocktake
COP 27 will host a Technical Dialogue as part of the 2021-23 global stocktake (GST). The GST will assess progress towards fulfilling the Paris Agreement, happening every five years in sync with the ratchet mechanism.
GST evaluates the progress made toward mitigation, adaptation, and preventive measures, assessing the mechanisms that help lessen climate change and its social effects. COP27 will be a crucial moment for scrutinizing the results of such deals. Hence, this can bring adequate outcomes for the susceptible countries.
Compensation for Loss and Damage
Loss of or damage to the environment refers to violations of the constraints of the natural environment that cannot be prevented by preventive measures or adaptation. Developing countries that are least responsible for climate change seek financial support for that irreparable loss and damages from the countries that are highly responsible for the climate crisis.
So, COP27 should achieve compensation for the affected countries.
Read E-Waste Crisis: Effects of Electronic Waste on Environment and Human Health
Final Words
The COP27 should make progress on agreement signings and declarations, which can help secure more financial support for vulnerable countries. The conference should provide them with new ideas on how to fight climate change, help them build resilience to climate shocks, and give them access to mitigation and adaptation plans. So far, we have discussed what COP27 should achieve for the climate vulnerable countries. Stay with us to know the updates of the COP27 conference in 2022.
9 killed, 18 wounded in traffic accident in southern Egypt
At least nine people were killed and 18 others injured on Saturday when a microbus overturned on a highway in Upper Egypt's province of Minya, said the Egyptian authorities.
"The accident took place in the early hours of Saturday as a result of excessive speeding, which led to the explosion of the front tire of the microbus and caused it to overturn several times," Minya Governor Osama Al-Qady told Xinhua.
The microbus carrying 27 passengers, including 13 children, was coming from Sohag province in Upper Egypt, crossing Minya and heading to the capital Cairo through the desert road, the governor said.
Read: Traffic accident in heavy rain in Pakistan leaves 13 dead
Fifteen ambulances were sent to the scene after the incident, said the governor, adding that ten of the 18 injured passengers had been discharged from the hospital.
Road accidents in Egypt claim thousands of lives every year. Earlier in August, a collision between a microbus and a truck in Sohag left 17 people dead.
Over the past few years, the country has been upgrading its road network, building new roads and bridges, and repairing old ones to reduce traffic accidents
17 killed in traffic accident in southern Egypt
At least 17 people were killed and four others injured late Tuesday in an accident involving a micro bus and a truck on the desert road of Sohag Province in southern Egypt.
"Fifteen ambulances rushed to the scene of the accident to take the injured to the Sohag Public Hospital," Tarek al-Fiqy, governor of Sohag, told Xinhua.
Read: APBn member shot in Cox’s Bazar gunfight
"Initial investigations blamed the high speed of the microbus driver for the accident when he attempted to avoid collision with the coming truck from the opposite side," he added.
Road accidents are common in Egypt because of poorly maintained road infrastructure and loosely enforced traffic regulations.
Over the past few years, Egypt has been upgrading its road network, building new roads and bridges, and repairing old ones to reduce traffic accidents.
22 killed in Egypt traffic accident
At least 22 people were killed and 33 others injured Tuesday in a bus-truck accident on the desert road of Minya Province in southern Egypt.
"A passenger bus traveling to Cairo from the southern Province of Sohag crashed into the back of a truck parking on the side of the road for changing its tyres," Governor Osama Al Qady told Xinhua.
Ambulances have rushed the injured to local hospitals.
The crash took place 200 km away from Cairo, he added.
Read: 7 killed in traffic accident in NE Egypt
Road accidents are common in Egypt because of poorly maintained road infrastructure and loosely enforced traffic regulations.
Over the past few years, Egypt has been upgrading its road network, building new roads and bridges, and repairing old ones to reduce traffic accidents. ■
7 killed in traffic accident in NE Egypt
Seven people were killed on Friday after a minibus and a private car collided on the Ismailia-Suez desert road in northeastern Egypt, state-run Ahram newspaper reported.
The collision resulted in the explosion of an oxygen cylinder inside the private car and a gas cylinder in the minibus.
The bodies of the seven people were burned as they were trapped in the vehicles. The bodies were taken to local hospitals in ambulances, while a team of prosecutors had inspected the scene of the accident.
According to initial reports, the accident took place when the private car's driver tried to turn to the other side of the road.
READ: 7 soldiers killed in India road accident
Road accidents are common in Egypt because of poorly maintained road infrastructure and loosely applied traffic regulations.
Over the past few years, Egypt has been upgrading its road network, building new roads and bridges, and repairing old ones to reduce traffic accidents.
Egypt frees 3 as president appears to reach out to critics
Egyptian authorities freed three journalists early Sunday, the head of a journalists’ union said, the latest in a string of releases as President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi appears to be reaching out to critics of his administration.
Ammer Abdel-Moneim, Hany Greisha and Essam Abdeen walked free from jail after they spent around a year and a half in detention in separate cases.
Diaa Rashwan, head of the Journalists’ Union, posted images showing the three journalists wearing white jail uniforms and embracing their families in the street.
Also read: Egypt: Ruins of ancient temple for Zeus unearthed in Sinai
They were released pending investigations into initial charges of misuse of social media and joining a terrorist group, in an apparent reference to the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization since 2013. The three have yet to face trial.
Their release came a few days after authorities freed 41 detainees — including several prominent writers and activists — who had been held for months also without trial. Long pre-trial detentions have been a major concern for rights groups in recent years.
El-Sissi also reactivated a presidential pardon committee and appointed new members. The committee, in charge of reviewing cases of prisoners held for political crimes, was created in 2016 and had been mostly ineffective in recent years.
Also read: US, Egypt launch group to prepare for COP27 climate summit
On Thursday, authorities released prominent political activist Hossam Monis following a pardon by el-Sissi. Monis was serving a four-year sentence on terror charges that rights advocates deemed baseless.
Some independent observers believe the government is trying to reach out to critics in the midst of a grinding economic crisis sparked by the Russian war on Ukraine. Thousands of political prisoners, however, are estimated to remain in Egyptian jails.
The Egyptian government has in recent years waged a wide-scale crackdown on dissent, jailing thousands of people, mainly Islamists, but also secular activists involved in the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
It has also imprisoned dozens of reporters and occasionally expelled some foreign journalists. It remains among the world’s worst jailers of journalists, along with Turkey and China, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a U.S.-based watchdog.
Egypt: Ruins of ancient temple for Zeus unearthed in Sinai
Egyptian archaeologists unearthed the ruins of a temple for the ancient Greek god Zeus in the Sinai Peninsula, antiquities authorities said Monday.
The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said in a statement the temple ruins were found in the Tell el-Farma archaeological site in northwestern Sinai.
Tell el-Farma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, dates back to the late Pharaonic period and was also used during Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. There are also remains dating to the Christian and early Islamic periods.
Also read: Famed Egyptian archaeologist reveals details of ancient city
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said archaeologists excavated the temple ruins through its entrance gate, where two huge fallen granite columns were visible. The gate was destroyed in a powerful earthquake in ancient times, he said.
Waziri said the ruins were found between the Pelusium Fort and a memorial church at the site. Archaeologists found a set of granite blocks probably used to build a staircase for worshipers to reach the temple.
Excavations at the area date back to early 1900 when French Egyptologist Jean Clédat found ancient Greek inscriptions that showed the existence of the Zeus-Kasios temple but he didn’t unearth it, according to the ministry.
Zeus-Kasios is a conflation of Zeus, the God of the sky in ancient Greek mythology, and Mount Kasios in Syria, where Zeus once worshipped.
Also read: Ancient coins may solve mystery of murderous 1600s pirate
Hisham Hussein, the director of Sinai archaeological sites, said inscriptions found in the area show that Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138) renovated the temple.
He said experts will study the unearthed blocks and do a photogrammetry survey to help determine the architectural design of the temple.
The temple ruins are the latest in a series of ancient discoveries Egypt has touted in the past couple of years in the hope of attracting more tourists.
The tourism industry has been reeling from the political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The sector was also dealt further blows by the coronavirus pandemic and most recently Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Bangladesh, Egypt discuss ways to boost trade, investment
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam discussed ways to enhance trade and investment between Bangladesh and Egypt in a series of meetings in Cairo over the last couple of days.
The Egyptian entrepreneurs invited Bangladesh entrepreneurs to invest in Egypt and explore possibilities of joint collaboration in potential areas.
During his meeting with Dr. Hala Helmy Elsaid, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Shahriar Alam mentioned that Bangladesh government has successfully lowered the rate of poverty.
The Egyptian Minister briefed the State Minister for Foreign Affairs about the mega, development and welfare projects undertaken by the Egyptian government.
Also read: Dhaka, Riyadh "dynamic partnership" to reach new height under inspired leadership: Saudi envoy
Shariar Alam said Bangladesh and Egypt are working in D8 (Developing-8) for facilitation of trade.
The Egyptian Development Minister suggested that both countries may cooperate in areas like cotton production and possible production of staples.
The State Minister apprised the Egyptian Minister of the remarkable achievements that Bangladesh has made in various socio economic areas.
He said that Bangladesh has achieved self-sufficiency in food production and meeting demand of electricity while Bangladesh’s exports have doubled.
Shahriar Alam informed that the government is putting importance on health, education and infrastructure sectors development.
The State Minister met with Engineer Yehia Zaki, CEO of Suez Canal Economic Zone at his office on Wednesday, accompanied by Ambassador of Bangladesh in Cairo, Director General (Africa) and other officials of the Foreign Ministry.
Also read: Dhaka, London to hold 1st ever defence dialogue in city Wednesday
The CEO of Suez Canal briefed the State Minister about the activities of Suez Canal Economic zone.
He invited Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to invest in Suez Canal economic zone.
The State Minister mentioned that Bangladeshi investors may invest in suitable area in Suez Canal.
The State Minister later met with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Nevin Gamea at her office.
The Egyptian Minister was accompanied by Assistant Minister and other trade related high level officials.
Both sides reflected on potential areas of cooperation and agreed to identify potential markets.
The State Minister said the government has taken measures to enhance Bangladesh' exports to African countries terming Africa as a very potential region for cooperation.
He proposed that high level delegation may visit from Egypt to Bangladesh to find out potential areas of cooperation in trade and investment.
The State Minister also met with A. D. Khaled El-Anany, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities at his office.
He expressed happiness over the decision of the Egyptian side to introduce operations of Egypt Air from Dhaka to Egypt directly.
The State Minister suggested that there may be cooperation in exchange of knowledge in hospitality and tourism sectors between Bangladesh and Egypt.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities said the government of Egypt would offer exchange education for Bangladesh students in tourism sector with Bangladesh.
The State Minister also met with Egyptian Chamber of Industry, representatives of Apparel and Textiles and Egyptian entrepreneurs.