Bahrain will be a key contributor to a regional climate action plan which will be discussed at a major conference to be held in Cyprus next month.
Experts in the kingdom are working on potential solutions to climate change in the region, and these will be presented at the second International Conference on Climate Change in the Mediterranean and the Middle East: Challenges and Solutions.
The forum on October 13 and 14 aims to work with regional and international stakeholders to accelerate co-ordinated, regional action in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement – a 2016 international treaty on climate change with a goal to lower global warming.
The event under the patronage of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades will gather regional governments and international scientists, policymakers, experts and decision-makers who will discuss scientific recommendations to form a regional climate action plan for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region.
Visiting Cypriot Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Minister Costas Kadis said that Bahrain’s inputs at the conference will be of added value, due to the country’s rich know-how on climate change.
“Our region has been branded by the scientific community as a global climate change hotspot due to its vulnerability to the impacts of climate change,” he said.
“More than 200 distinguished scientists from all over the world are working now to prepare their suggestions for measures that should be taken to meet these challenges.
“The inputs of Bahrain will be more than useful as it has taken many very important initiatives to address the challenges.
“This know-how and experience can be transferred to our initiative at the conference which will also see findings of the scientific community from across the globe.”
A ministerial meeting will study the recommendations of the conference in February next year and will finalise with policymakers an action plan to tackle the crisis.
Subsequently, the plan will be ratified at a separate meeting of the regional leaders.
The conference organised by The Cyprus Institute, Cyprus EMME Climate Change Initiative, the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, and the EMME Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre will be preceded by two days of scientific workshops (October 11 and 12) focusing on air pollution and climate change in the region.
Mr Kadis, who was part of a delegation accompanying visiting President Anastasiades, was addressing members of the Press at the Four Seasons Hotel, Bahrain Bay alongside Supreme Council for Environment chief executive Dr Mohammed Bin Daina.
Dr Bin Daina, who is also His Majesty’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, said Bahrain was looking forward to attending the forum.
He added that discussions with Mr Kadis mostly focused on the concerns of climate change in the region as well as on the increasing temperatures, rise in sea level and the impact on afforestation.
Dr Bin Daina was optimistic on the planned bilateral projects between Cyprus and Bahrain.
“We have agreed on having more bilateral projects and sharing our experiences. We are also looking at green finance and developing a national sustainable framework for this.”
Green finance is any structured financial activity created to ensure a better environmental outcome which includes an array of loans, debt mechanisms and investments that are used to encourage the development of green projects or minimise the impact on the climate of more regular projects, or a combination of both.
© Copyright 2020 www.gdnonline.com
Copyright 2021 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
