The 100-day countdown to the much-anticipated
Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow has started, with countries ramping up
their climate “actions” and “ambitions” (words we have been hearing at an
accelerating rate as we enter the “decade of action,” to meet both
climate and the
SDG targets).
اضافة اعلان
Examples from the world’s top
emitters include the EU’s pledge to become the first ‘
climate neutral’ continent by 2050, China’s
aim to peak
emissions by 2030 and reach neutrality by 2060, and the US’ updated
targets to reduce carbon emissions by 50-52 percent by 2030 (compared to 2005).
However, this is definitely one
global meeting where actions in the near term, not just future commitments,
will be the flavor of the day (as
Greta Thunberg often reminds us!). In a
world still in the throes of a relentless pandemic, extreme weather events and
natural disasters are serving a double blow to humanity. Climate change impacts
are no longer a distant threat, but a reality manifesting itself in different
ways across the planet; more intense heat waves (the past decade was considered
the
hottest on
record), accelerated sea level rise, and increasingly destructive
floods,
to name a few.
Jordan, and the Mediterranean
region in general, is considered a climate change “
hot spot,” where climate-responsive planning
needs to be at the center of the national agenda. Fortunately, Jordan can
emerge as a regional leader in climate planning and action, leveraging the
important global meeting at COP26 to forge partnerships, attract investments
and share its story with the world.
The almost universal
ratification of the Paris Agreement (PA) is considered a landmark achievement in
international climate diplomacy — at least in setting a common vision for
limiting average global temperature rise to “well below” 2oC (with
subsequent expert
reports calling for
further limiting the increase to 1.5oC). The “how”, however, was
left to countries to propose through voluntarily issuance of their Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs); with Jordan among the first countries in the
region to officially issue its NDCs in 2016. Jordan’s
NDCs communicated national climate priorities at the time, with a commitment to
reduce carbon emissions by 14 percent by 2030 and a financing need of about
$5.7 billion (with 12.5 percent contingent on international assistance).
In order to ensure fruitful
participation in Glasgow, Jordan can take a number of strategic steps; first,
as the Ministry of Environment leads the process to update Jordan’s NDCs ahead
of COP26, joining the ranks of first movers globally, the focus should not only
be on raising carbon reduction ambition (which is certainly an option), but
more importantly to communicate key climate vulnerabilities, adaptation needs,
and opportunities for investments in green, climate-responsive infrastructure.
The
National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (NAP), recently released by the Ministry of
Environment is an important starting point, which highlights the major climate-related
hazards facing the country, including “extreme temperature droughts, flash
floods, storms, and landslides.”
Jordan has already witnessed loss
of lives and livelihoods due to extreme weather events, which are expected to
worsen, so investment in disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures and
climate-responsive infrastructure is critical for Jordan’s resilience and
broader economic development aspirations. Promoting partnerships on these areas
at COP26 can both address a national climate priority as well as translate to green
investment opportunities in key sectors like water, agriculture and urban
planning. Jordan can be among the
countries calling developed economies to fulfill a decade-old
promise of $100 billion annually in climate financing for developing countries until 2025.
Secondly, Jordan can highlight
its leadership in climate change policy development, and attract funding for
its pipeline of climate-responsive, green projects. It was the first country in
the region to issue a
Climate Change Policy in 2013 (currently being updated), and a National Green
Growth Plan (NGGP) in 2017, followed by six sectoral
Green Growth National Action Plan with
83 proposed policy and project interventions at an estimated implementation
cost of $1.8 billion (more than half of which are climate actions, geared at
private sector investment).
The Ministry of Environment has
also taken proactive steps to engage key sectors in prioritizing and costing
its
NDCs,
which have informed ongoing green recovery plans. COVID-19 has brought to the
fore the strategic importance of a green, climate-responsive economic recovery
for Jordan, which has translated into a key pillar of the latest Government Indicative
Executive Program, ongoing updates of the Five-Year Reform Matrix, and the
$500-million
Program for Results recently agreed between the government and the World Bank, with
a strong focus on a climate-resilient and inclusive recovery by promoting public-private
climate investments and building a climate finance governance framework. A
green investment program was also launched this year by the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development and EU.
Thirdly, as
highlighted by His Majesty King Abdullah during his meeting in the US with Special
Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, “Jordan can lead the region in
driving clean energy deployment and marine protection, while also building
sustainable solutions to water scarcity and other climate-driven impacts
already facing the Kingdom.”
COP26 is an opportunity to
showcase Jordan’s success as a regional hub for climate and green innovation, which
can enable scale-ups within Jordan and beyond. Jordan is home to over 20,000
electric cars with a developing e-mobility program, utility-scale solar and
wind farms pumping clean energy to the grid, one of the most energy-efficient
wastewater treatment plants, a growing community of green entrepreneurs, the
lowest nature reserve on earth,
climate resilient corals, and live examples of nature-based solutions including the
first
Miyawaki forest in the Arab region.
COP26 is no doubt an important
opportunity to retell the story of Jordan and the region, from one of resource
scarcity and conflict, to one of climate innovation and green investment.
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