A local report has proposed three pathways to strengthen Jordan's ability to translate its climate commitments into concrete action on the ground, foremost among them reviewing taxes imposed on green technologies, improving household energy efficiency, and institutionally engaging youth and local communities in making and implementing climate decisions.
اضافة اعلان
The report, released yesterday, focused on a set of youth-led proposals in Jordan, chief among them achieving greater consistency in green energy tax policies, particularly those imposed on environmentally friendly technologies such as electric vehicles.
The report's findings, prepared by the German Heinrich Böll Foundation in Palestine and Jordan in cooperation with several local Jordanian entities, concluded that household energy efficiency needs to be improved, at a time when a "gap" is emerging between Jordan's climate ambitions and their implementation on the ground, despite progress achieved in some sectors, chiefly energy.
It also called for institutionalizing the participation of youth and local communities in decisions related to nationally determined contributions and their implementation, making their participation part of the decision-making and implementation process rather than merely "limited or temporary participation."
Nationally determined contributions are the climate plans and commitments through which countries define their goals and actions related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change.
The Municipal Level
The proposals extend to the municipal level, with the report presenting Zarqa Municipality as a case study of the role local authorities can play in implementing climate commitments.
The report describes Zarqa as Jordan's third-largest city, with a population exceeding half a million, covering an area of about 60 square kilometers, and situated at an elevation of roughly 619 meters above sea level.
However, the findings stressed the importance of strengthening the skills of municipal staff, particularly in practical and policy-related areas, in line with national environmental strategies.
Among the other proposals the report put forward is supporting the municipality in better understanding climate financing mechanisms and building partnerships with the private sector to turn nationally determined contributions into income-generating projects, particularly in the energy and solar power sectors.
The report also pointed to the importance of mobilizing technical expertise and financial resources to invest in nature-based solutions aimed at restoring the Zarqa River, solutions that rely on protecting and restoring natural systems and leveraging them to address environmental problems.
These proposals gain added importance in light of the target Jordan set within the updated version of its nationally determined contribution, submitted in 2021, committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 31% by 2030 compared to a "business as usual" scenario, meaning the emissions trajectory expected if activities and policies continue without additional climate action.
The "business as usual" scenario refers to the trajectory against which emissions are measured if current activities and policies continue unchanged.
Of the total targeted reduction, Jordan is committed to achieving 5% unconditionally, while achieving the remaining 26% is contingent on receiving international financing and technical support. The nationally determined contributions cover key sectors including energy and transport, waste and water, and agriculture.
Reducing Emissions
In the area of emissions reduction, priorities focus on expanding renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and managing water in a way more resilient to climate change, alongside developing monitoring, reporting, and verification systems, the mechanisms used to track climate actions, measure their results, report on them, and verify progress made. Climate financing stands out as one of the most significant challenges on this path, as the report notes that achieving national targets requires investments reaching billions of dollars, while Jordan relies heavily on international grants and assistance.
