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Supporting vulnerable communities a critical COP28 goal, experts say

Supporting vulnerable communities a critical COP28 goal, experts say
29 Nov 2023 11:28

Shaban Bilal (Cairo) - As efforts are underway to establish the Loss and Damage fund to assist nations disproportionately affected by the ramifications of climate change, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), to be hosted by the UAE from November 30 through December 12, will be an opportunity to support climatically fragile communities, climate and environment experts told Aletihad.

Dr. Osama Salam, an expert in climate and sustainable development, said COP28 is an important opportunity to enhance global efforts to combat climate change and its effects, noting the conference’s potential to play a very important role in supporting fragile communities through a set of impactful measures, primarily enhancing commitments to reduce emissions.

Salam told Aletihad that developed countries contribute significantly to climate change, and thus bear the burden of responsibility in reducing emissions.

Therefore, the conference could play a role in enhancing their commitments, which will help mitigate the effects of climate change on fragile communities. COP28 will focus on increasing funding for developing countries that are particularly affected by climate change but have fewer resources to adapt to it, Salam said.

The conference also provides an opportunity to implement adaptation plans, enhance international cooperation, and coordinate global efforts in this field. Given the increasing number of communities affected by conflicts, wars, environmental changes, and other causes, there is an urgent need to offer a greater amount of support for facing climate change, he added.

Environmental expert Thaer Yousif told Aletihad that during COP28, work will be underway to establish a relief fund to help countries mitigate the impact of increasingly severe weather changes. This includes creating a future Loss and Damage fund, specifically for vulnerable countries, he said.

COP28 the way for an agreement on this critical issue by determining the size of the fund and a clear plan to save more than a billion people living in communities at greater risk from climate change, Yousif said, noting the conference will also make clear the necessity for major countries to make mandatory contributions due to the fact that they bear greater responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions.

The conference will achieve its goals if countries commit to implementing climate decisions, and especially if developed countries commit to providing $100 billion in annual aid to developing countries to help them combat the effects of climate change, he added.

Dr. Rawda Al Qafrash, an expert in water resources and climate change adaptation, explained that developing regions that have contributed the least to climate change, including African and Middle Eastern countries, particularly those around the Mediterranean Basin, are disproportionately affected by the ramifications of a changing climate.

Al Qafrash believes the solution is to help countries improve their citizens’ access to water and food and provide job opportunities, which requires substantial funding that all international organisations, especially the Green Climate Fund, must take into consideration.

The conference will play a significant role in supporting all people worldwide, particularly in fragile regions, to face the primary cause of migration, which is the difficulty and impossibility of adapting to the new climate, as one “without water and with high temperatures”, she concluded.

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