Africa will be most affected continent by climate change – Egypt’s environment minister

Egypt’s minister of environment, Yasmine Fouad, has said that Africa’s emissions do not exceed four percent of the total global emissions, yet the continent will be among the most affected by climate change.

The minister made the remarks during a plenary session in the Egyptian Parliament, tackling a request by a number of its members on clarifying the government’s policy on the measures taken to confront the phenomenon of climate change, Egyptian media reported.

Fouad has stressed the importance of establishing the African Resilience and Adaptation Centre in Cairo to adapt to climate change in this regard, which comes to serve African countries.

Fouad said the “hard work” made at #COP26 “deserves to be rewarded” and the North African country will “carry the torch” and build on its success when Egypt hosts COP27 next year, 2022, international media reported.

According to the Guardian.com, Egypt, which is set to host Cop27, in keeping with the expectation that the next location of the Cop should be in Africa, however, the choice of Egypt has caused concern.

Since coming to power in a military coup in 2013, Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has overseen the broadest and deepest crackdown on civil rights in Egypt’s modern history, writes the Guardian.

Climate change in Africa remains a major threat to the continent, with the World Meteorological Organisation saying that with Africa witnessing increasing weather and climate variability, this will lead to increased natural disasters and disruption of economic, ecological and social systems.

Furthermore, for African countries, over two degrees Celsius of warming means a loss of GDP about five percent per annum by 2030, according to analysis by the African Climate Policy Centre.