Page 15 - AfrElec Week 40 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

CLIMATE CHANGE Agreement of 2015. Mohamed Abdel-Aty met on Tuesday with
The CS said the Government was revising a delegation of nternational organizations
Kenyan govt to mitigate the country’s building code, to include working on water resources management,
headed by the UN Resident Coordinator in
provisions that promote use of designs and
climate change construction methods that will optimize Egypt, Elena Panova.
resources and reduce energy consumption
The meeting was also attended by
The Kenyan government has put in place and waste. representatives of the European Union and
adequate policies and legislative frameworks several diplomats from the embassies of the
that will accelerate urban action plans, to US, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and
effectively manage impacts of climate change, Finland.
to promote a carbon-free world. HYDRO Abdel-Aty presented Egypt’s strategy and
Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS), James plan for water management until 2050 to face
Macharia, said the Government was executing Egypt reviews with UN the adverse effects of climate change.
a comprehensive approach to enhance He explained that Egypt has limited
the wellbeing of Kenyans and protect the officials ‘negative impact’ renewable water resources from the Nile River
environment through implementation of and received limited amounts of rainwater
mitigation strategies that address causes of GERD and groundwater in the deserts, indicating
and effects of climate change in all sectors that the shortage is compensated by reusing
of the economy including agriculture, Egypt reviewed with UN officials the negative agricultural drainage water and surface
manufacturing, energy and ICT. impact of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance groundwater and importing food products.
He cited the Country’s Urban Development Dam (GERD) on the Nile River, stressing its The Minister presented the Egyptian water
Policy Framework, which he said prioritizes keenness to reach an agreement that preserves sector’s challenges amid a population increase
development of urban resilience plans and its “water rights” and meets the aspirations of and climate change.
strategies that are aimed at equipping cities all the countries, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper He pointed out that the volume of
and towns to effectively address causes and reported. rainwater in Ethiopia amounts to more than
effects of climate change. Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating 935 billion cubic meters of water annually
While speaking at the Kenya Electricity with Ethiopia without success for the last and that 94 percent of Ethiopia’s land is green.
Generating Company (KENGEN) wells in decade, aiming to reach an agreement on In contrast, the green land in Egypt is only 4
Olkaria area of Naivasha during this year’s filling and operating the dam on the main percent.
World Habitat Day celebrations, the CS tributary of the Nile. Ethiopia owns more than 100 million head
acknowledged that more than half of the The UN Security Council has called on of livestock and consumes 4 billion cubic
7.8 billion world population resides in cities the three countries to resume negotiations meters of water annually, equal to the share of
and towns, where buildings, transportation, under the auspices of the African Union Egypt and Sudan combined.
energy use and wastes management, make the (AU), stressing the need to reach a “binding He stressed Cairo’s keenness to complete
cities a major contributor of green-house gas agreement on the filling and operation of the the negotiations while emphasizing Egypt’s
emissions. GERD” within a reasonable timetable. water rights, and reiterated the need to reach a
Macharia urged County Governments and Egypt, along with Sudan, wants to conclude just and binding agreement for all that meets
urban planners to play their role in ensuring a legally binding agreement regulating the the aspirations of all countries.
the cities and towns are well planned, built filling and operation of the dam, while
and managed, to reduce carbon emissions Ethiopia rejects the proposal stressing its right
and keep the global warming, to the set limits to “development.”
as per the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and Paris Egyptian Minister of Water Resources CLIMATE CHANGE
COP26: African countries

stand to gain from climate
change conference

The COP26 international climate conference
comes at a crucial time for African countries,
which stand to be some of the worst affected
by rising global temperatures while being least
able to mitigate the impact.
The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF),
made up of representatives from 48 of the
countries “most threatened by climate change”,
has published a ‘manifesto’ () ahead of the
conference, which it describes as “maybe
the last chance for humanity to avert climate
catastrophe”. Among the actions that the CVF
is pushing for are carbon tariff exemptions,

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