The UN's Cop27 summit will be a chance to “integrate the concept of climate justice” as developing countries suffer the consequences of environmental change largely created by the developed world, a senior Egyptian official has said.
“This climate injustice is evident and can be seen by everybody,” said ambassador Wael Aboulmagd, special representative of the Cop27 president, at the American University in Cairo on Monday.
Egypt is hosting the climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh in November, the second African country after Morocco to do so since the Paris Agreement was adopted at Cop21 in 2015.
The pact, signed by 196 countries, set a goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Egyptian officials said Cop27 would be a “Cop for action” and emphasised the need to make pledges a reality, including an unfulfilled promise made by developed countries to mobilise $100 billion annually in climate finance.
At last week’s Africa Climate Week, Cop27 president Sameh Shoukry, who is also the Egyptian Foreign Minister, said Africa was one of the regions most affected by climate change, despite contributing less than 4 per cent of global emissions.
African countries have to spend 2 per cent to 3 per cent of their gross domestic product each year to adapt to the effects of climate change.
At the talk hosted by the university's Alternative Policy Solutions research project, Mr Aboulmagd said “the victim did not contribute to the problem and has to take loans to pay the bill of others”.
“Climate finance is a core issue and it is a conundrum. It lacks justice. It does not suffice. And what is available is directed towards mitigation and not to adaptation and losses,” he said.
Mitigation measures avoid and reduce emissions while adaptation measures respond to the effects of climate change. The concept of “loss and damage” refers to compensation for the devastating effects of climate change.
He highlighted places such as Pakistan, where floods have killed more than 1,300 people and displaced more than 33 million.
Such disasters will only become worse and more frequent, even with small changes in temperature, Mr Aboulmagd said.
“Each 0.1°C [increase] is influential,” he said. “Delay means more repercussions.”
Mr Aboulmagd, who is Egypt's ambassador to Brazil, served as director of environmental affairs and sustainable development in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2016 and 2019.
He has attended several Cop conferences and said he advocates “multilateral action” and “inclusivity”.
In pictures — flooding becoming more likely due to climate change
However, there is no denying that “large industrial countries generate most of the world’s emissions”, he said.
Moderator Rabab El Mahdi, associate professor of political science and APS principal investigator, called it “carbon imperialism”.
All nations now have to ensure a smooth transition to sustainability because any country’s neglect in fulfilling its obligations has grave repercussions beyond its borders, said Mr Aboulmagd.
“We have to change the pattern that has been adopted since the Industrial Revolution. It has proved to be a failure and cannot be sustained,” he said. “It is not a luxury. It is not a choice.”
Several factors present challenges at Cop27, including the economic repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and tense US-China relations. The two countries are the biggest emitters of carbon emissions.
The conference is bound to an agenda set by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It will include days during which themes will be centred on issues such as finance, adaptation, decarbonisation and solutions.
Organisers expect 30,000 to 35,000 people will participate, of which 7,000 will be official representatives, Mr Aboulmagd said. Sharm El Sheikh has sufficient capacity, making up about a quarter of Egypt’s hotel rooms, he said.
Egypt has reached out to embassies in all African countries to spread the word about registration and fast-tracked accreditation for underrepresented African civil society organisations.
“This is out of a strong belief that all stakeholders need to be involved,” Mr Aboulmagd said.
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
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Violence%20
%3Cp%3EInstances%20of%20violence%20against%20Syrian%20refugees%20are%20not%20uncommon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJust%20last%20month%2C%20security%20camera%20footage%20of%20men%20violently%20attacking%20and%20stabbing%20an%20employee%20at%20a%20mini-market%20went%20viral.%20The%20store%E2%80%99s%20employees%20had%20engaged%20in%20a%20verbal%20altercation%20with%20the%20men%20who%20had%20come%20to%20enforce%20an%20order%20to%20shutter%20shops%2C%20following%20the%20announcement%20of%20a%20municipal%20curfew%20for%20Syrian%20refugees.%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CThey%20thought%20they%20were%20Syrian%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20the%20mayor%20of%20the%20Nahr%20el%20Bared%20municipality%2C%20Charbel%20Bou%20Raad%2C%20of%20the%20attackers.%3Cbr%3EIt%20later%20emerged%20the%20beaten%20employees%20were%20Lebanese.%20But%20the%20video%20was%20an%20exemplary%20instance%20of%20violence%20at%20a%20time%20when%20anti-Syrian%20rhetoric%20is%20particularly%20heated%20as%20Lebanese%20politicians%20call%20for%20the%20return%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20to%20Syria.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
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How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5