Just like the next, environmentally aware young person, I strongly believe that climate change is one of the biggest challenges that humans have ever faced, and believe we should spread the message to as many people as possible.
But I also believe that when it comes to climate change, we have been doing great talking. Actions, however, have been badly lacking behind.
After the first meeting held in Damascus, Syria, last week, the Arab Climate Resilience Initiative is currently in its second meeting, taking place in Cairo, Egypt.
The initiative, launched by the UNDP, aims to come up with a clearly outlined plan to address climate change in the Arab region by November. This plan will be presented to Arab states governments, with the hope of them becoming partners in its implementation.
I think it is a great idea that the initiative has called on the science community to put the plan together. The meetings consist of several scientists presenting their findings and engaging in discussions on what needs to be done and how urgent.
However, that is where it ends. Endless discussions with very little on the front of putting together concrete plans. With two of the three planned meetings behind, the initiative has very little to show for it.
“We have spent the past 20 years or so saying that we should do this and should do that. But who will take action? And how and when? Nobody has taken the time to answer these questions for the past 20 years,” said Mostafa Tolba, president of the International Center for Environment and Development.
“The time has come for us to say what exactly will we do, who will do it, how much it will cost and who will be able to pay these expenses.”
This simply rounds up the problem. In each of these meetings, people go up to the podium and keep talking about how vulnerable the Arab region is to climate change, even though they are among the smallest contributors to it.
Yes, large parts of the coast in Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will disappear under the sea due to the seawater level rise. Yes, the water scarcity problem in the Middle East will become even worse. Yes, the Nile Delta, which is the ending of the Nile River and Egypt’s most important breadbasket, faces dangers from salination and direct inundation.
If we know all these predictions, why are we still talking about them rather than doing something about them? Even what little is being done is through lone efforts rather than a unified, integrated, well-studied approach.
“Our systematic approaches are very weak, our experience is very weak and our knowledge is very limited,” added Mohammed El-Raey, professor of climate at the University of Alexandria.
Just like the next, environmentally aware young person, I want to raise awareness about climate change. But I also want to survive it. Unfortunately, words will not be enough for that.
That is why I hope that the promise of the UNDP, that these meetings will actually end with a concerted plan of action, hold true. Otherwise, it is just more of the same: more talk, and not enough action.