Finding tailored solutions to climate change, conflict in Mideast are urgent challenges for COP28

The COP28 UAE logo on display during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Jan. 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 23 May 2023
Follow

Finding tailored solutions to climate change, conflict in Mideast are urgent challenges for COP28

  • Global action for region’s socio-political, economic precarity needed, say experts
  • Limited access to climate financing is biggest obstacle to development

DUBAI: With Earth on the precipice as the devastating impacts of climate change loom ominously, it has become an urgent imperative to respond to this rapidly transforming world. As the international community prepares for the 28th Conference of the Parties, or COP28, hosted by the UAE, it is crucial to underscore the significance of this global gathering in addressing the complex interplay between climate resilience and conflict-affected regions.

A recent policy report released jointly by the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, and the Norwegian Red Cross, sheds light on the alarming exacerbation of humanitarian needs in the region. This report, titled “Making Adaptation Work: Addressing the compounding impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, and conflict in the Near and Middle East,” sheds light on the dire situation faced by communities in the region.

The ICRC report emphasizes that climate change is not solely an environmental issue but a significant threat to human security, further exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. The report highlights the intricate connections between marginalized communities, armed conflicts, and humanitarian crises, emphasizing the urgent need to address these interconnected challenges.

To delve into the intricate interdependencies between climate resilience, conflict-affected regions, and the imperative need for climate financing, a panel of experts convened in Dubai recently to explore this multidimensional crisis. The participants of the forum included Clare Dalton, the ICRC’s head of delegation in the UAE, Trond H.G. Rudi, charge d’affaires of the Norwegian Embassy in the UAE, and Helena de Jong, senior advisor of the UAE COP28 team.

Climate financing for conflict-affected regions

In conflict-affected countries, the challenge lies not only in combating climate change but also in navigating complex socio-political dynamics. Dalton emphasized that climate financing must be effectively channeled to countries grappling with conflict. The outcome she hopes to see from COP28 in the UAE is that “climate financing is better directed to countries experiencing conflict in ways that they can practically apply and use.” However, the current state of affairs presents obstacles, such as unreliable banking systems and numerous other factors that impede effective climate financing.

The report sheds light on the formidable barriers faced in accessing multilateral climate finance for state-led adaptation projects in conflict-affected countries. These challenges materialize as a result of stringent governance prerequisites and a certain aversion toward investing in volatile contexts.

As of January 2022, a mere 19 single-country projects in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have successfully secured funding approval, with the disbursed amount accounting for less than 0.5 percent of the global allocation of climate project funds. This stark disparity underscores the pressing need to address the limited access and utilization of climate financing in conflict-affected regions.

To overcome these obstacles, Dalton advocates for the collaboration of all sectors of society, emphasizing the necessity for concerted efforts in order to develop tangible, implementable solutions.

While the ICRC acknowledges that it operates at the periphery of climate negotiations, it recognizes the necessity of addressing climate change due to its impact on the regions it serves. Achieving this requires tangible strategies and concrete actions that go beyond mere agreement on the importance of adaptation.

“It’s not the fact that we all agree this needs to happen, but it’s the how. What are some very concrete ways that this could happen tomorrow because it’s needed then after the COP. And I think that happens in two ways because it’s not just in the form of negotiations, but it’s also in providing the space for actors to come together and look at some of these issues. So I think my second expectation is that we find a way to do that. You know, the remaining question is who can help us achieve that outcome. So yeah, money in places like Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, and any of these places that need that support,” Dalton said.

Dalton also touched on how small-scale initiatives play an important role in building community resilience amidst the challenges associated with the de-prioritization of climate action in conflict-affected settings, citing solutions such as education on sustainable agricultural practices, and the distribution of climate-resilient seed varieties to strengthen food security and build community resilience.

Armed conflicts exert a dual impact on the environment, both directly and indirectly, with profound consequences for human well-being. Such conflicts erode environmental governance structures and disrupt societal order, thus perpetuating the conditions conducive to environmental degradation. Consequently, the direct environmental harm caused by conflict and the subsequent degradation of ecological systems undermine the availability of natural resources, rendering communities more susceptible to the repercussions of climate change.

The report presents compelling instances that highlight how deliberate acts of environmental degradation can heighten the immediate jeopardy faced by significant population groups. A notable example is the seizure of Iraq’s Mosul Dam in 2014, which precipitated a looming risk of dam collapse. The accompanying threat to intentionally destroy the dam and flood downstream Baghdad underscores the urgent requirement for increased vigilance and accountability in safeguarding critical infrastructure systems and protecting vulnerable communities.

Dalton highlighted the imperative of engaging with the inhabitants of conflict-affected regions, acknowledging their lived experiences and incorporating their perspectives into climate resilience initiatives, stating: “We need to listen to those people about what changes they’ve seen, about what solutions they perceive might be.”

This approach recognizes the significance of local knowledge and ensures that adaptation strategies are contextually relevant and responsive to the specific challenges faced by these communities. By fostering connections between local, national, regional and global levels, a comprehensive and integrated framework can be established, incorporating diverse solutions and approaches to address the multifaceted issues arising from climate change and conflict.

“Communities need to understand how they can be part of the solution as well and what they can do in their own way not to make the situation any worse. And that’s exactly the same for humanitarians. We have that ‘do no harm’ principle. How can we respond to people’s needs but without making it any worse for them in terms of the assistance we give?” she said.

Revisiting climate-finance priorities

The report draws attention to the discrepancies between climate finance flows, vulnerability to climate change, and countries torn by conflict. De Jong, the senior advisor of the UAE COP28 team, highlighted a distressing statistic: out of the 46 countries listed as least developed, 22 are affected by conflict and fragility.

Paradoxically, these conflict-ridden nations receive the least amount of climate finance, exacerbating their vulnerability to both conflict and climate change. This predicament perpetuates a vicious cycle, hindering governments’ capacity to tackle these intertwined challenges effectively. To break this cycle, De Jong advocates for a paradigm shift in climate financing, with a renewed focus on prioritizing conflict-affected nations. She highlights the importance of engaging climate finance providers, multilateral development banks, humanitarian organizations, and peacebuilding actors in finding solutions.

“This is something that we would like to see changed. It’s not easy. This is a fairly complicated problem. But the advantage of focusing on this as a COP28 presidency is that we can talk to all these climate finance providers, so we can talk to the multilateral development banks, and we can talk to humanitarian actors and peacebuilding actors in this space to really bring all of them together to look at the solutions. Because the solutions are there. We know that there are plenty of actors that are able to work in these settings,” De Jong said.

Global pact for climate adaptation

To address this imbalance, De Jong proposes a global pact that includes actionable solutions such as streamlined application procedures, adjusted eligibility criteria for conflict-affected actors, and increased flexibility in project locations could drive progress in climate adaptation efforts.

“It won’t be all different at COP28, but we do really want to see a very big step forward at COP28. And this could, for example — and that would be my dream outcome — be in the form of some sort of global pact that all of these actors would sign up to that doesn’t include just principles that we all agree on, but that also would include at least a couple of solutions to these issues,” De Jong said.

“Our proposal is mainly the global pact that I mentioned. So this would focus more, I guess, on changes in the policy spectrum. But it could, for example, also include like a regional capacity-strengthening facility that would help governments apply and develop strong adaptation projects that would then basically build a pipeline of adaptation projects which would help them in the long run, so it wouldn’t necessarily include a fund,” De Jong said.

With the presidency of COP28, the UAE aims to create a platform that brings together various actors to collectively explore solutions. De Jong stresses the need to leverage existing momentum for change, emphasizing that COP28 is a stepping stone toward addressing these complex issues comprehensively.


Israel strikes south Lebanon, army says Hezbollah fighter killed

Updated 4 sec ago
Follow

Israel strikes south Lebanon, army says Hezbollah fighter killed

The Israeli military said its forces had carried out several strikes targeting Hezbollah sites and killed one militant
The “urgent warning” was accompanied by a map showing a structure and the 500-meter radius around it marked in red

BEIRUT: Lebanese state media said an Israeli air strike hit a building in southern Lebanon on Thursday after Israel’s military issued an evacuation call warning of imminent action against Hezbollah militants.

Israel has kept up its air strikes in neighboring Lebanon despite a November truce aimed at halting more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah that included two months of full-blown war.

Without confirming the reported attack on the southern town of Toul, the Israeli military said its forces had carried out several strikes targeting Hezbollah sites and killed one militant.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) said that “the Israeli enemy” struck a building in Toul, where the army had warned residents to evacuate the area around a building it said was used by Hezbollah militants.

The “urgent warning” was accompanied by a map showing a structure and the 500-meter (0.3-mile) radius around it marked in red.

“You are located near facilities belonging to the terrorist (group) Hezbollah,” the statement said in Arabic, urging people “to evacuate these buildings immediately and move away from them.”

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Toul.

In a separate statement, the military said it had “struck and eliminated a Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist in the area of Rab El Thalathine,” about 17 kilometers (10 miles) to the southeast.

The NNA reported a “martyr” in an air strike in the same area, without identifying them.

The Israeli military said its forces also “struck a Hezbollah military site containing rocket launchers and weapons” in the Bekaa Valley as well as “terrorist infrastructure sites and rocket launchers belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization... in southern Lebanon.”

A military statement said that “the presence of weapons in the area and Hezbollah activities at the site constitute blatant violations of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon” under the November ceasefire agreement.

Israel will “continue to operate to remove any threat... and will prevent any attempt by Hezbollah to re-establish its terror capabilities,” it said.

Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah fighters were to pull back north of the Litani River and dismantle military infrastructure south of it.

Israel was to withdraw all forces from Lebanon, but it has kept troops in five areas that it deems “strategic.”

The Lebanese army has deployed in the south and has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure.

The truce was based on a UN Security Council resolution that says Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only people to bear arms in south Lebanon, and calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.

Egyptian president, UK prime minister discuss Gaza ceasefire, humanitarian aid

Updated 15 min 42 sec ago
Follow

Egyptian president, UK prime minister discuss Gaza ceasefire, humanitarian aid

  • Leaders discussed Egyptian, Qatari, and US efforts to enforce ceasefire in the Palestinian coastal enclave
  • Abdul Fatah El-Sisi praised ‘positive’ UK position on Gaza, agreed with Sir Keir Starmer on continuing coordination

LONDON: Egyptian President Abdul Fatah El-Sisi praised the UK’s “positive position” on developments in Gaza during a phone call with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday.

The Egyptian Presidency said El-Sisi and Sir Keir discussed strengthening cooperation in the economic, trade, and investment sectors while continuing political consultations on various topics.

Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, the presidential spokesman, said the two leaders discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and Egyptian, Qatari, and US efforts to enforce a ceasefire in the Palestinian coastal enclave and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.

The Egyptian president emphasized Cairo’s rejection of displacing Palestinians and expressed support for the Arab-Islamic plan to rebuild Gaza following a ceasefire.

El-Sisi praised the “positive” UK position regarding the situation in Gaza and agreed with the prime minister on continuing coordination to address regional and international developments.

The UK announced on Tuesday that it will stop free-trade negotiations with Israel and has summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Office in response to Tel Aviv’s expansion of military operations in Gaza.


Settler attacks push Palestinians to abandon West Bank village, residents say

Updated 31 min 34 sec ago
Follow

Settler attacks push Palestinians to abandon West Bank village, residents say

  • The West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians
  • The Israeli military said it was “looking into” the legality of the outpost at Maghayer Al-Deir

MAGHAYER AL-DEIR, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian residents of Maghayer Al-Deir in the occupied West Bank told AFP on Thursday that they had begun packing their belonging and preparing to leave the village following repeated attacks by Israeli settlers.

Yusef Malihat, a resident of the tiny village east of Ramallah, told AFP his community had decided to leave because its members felt powerless in the face of the settler violence.

“No one provides us with protection at all,” he said, a keffiyeh scarf protecting his head from the sun as he loaded a pickup truck with chain-link fencing previously used to pen up sheep and goats.

“They demolished the houses and threatened us with expulsion and killing,” he said, as a group of settlers looked on from a new outpost a few hundred meters away.

The West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians, but also some 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.

Settlement outposts, built informally and sometimes overnight, are considered illegal under Israeli law too, although enforcement is relatively rare.

The Israeli military told AFP it was “looking into” the legality of the outpost at Maghayer Al-Deir.

“It’s very sad, what’s happening now... even for an outpost,” said Itamar Greenberg, an Israeli peace activist present at Maghayer Al-Deir on Thursday.

“It’s a new outpost 60 meters from the last house of the community, and on Sunday one settler told me that in one month, the Bedouins will not be here, but it (happened much) more quickly,” he told AFP.

The Palestinian Authority’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission denounced Maghayer Al-Deir’s displacement, describing it as being the result of the “terrorism of the settler militias.”

It said in a statement that a similar fate had befallen 29 other Bedouin communities, whose small size and isolation in rural areas make them more vulnerable.

In the area east of Ramallah, where hills slope down toward the Jordan Valley, Maghayer Al-Deir was one of the last remaining communities after the residents of several others were recently displaced.

Its 124 residents will now be dispersed to other nearby areas.

Malihat told AFP some would go to the Christian village of Taybeh just over 10 kilometers (six miles) away, and others to Ramallah.

Uncertain they would be able to return, the families loaded all they could fit in their trucks, including furniture, irrigation pipes and bales of hay.


WFP says ‘handful of bakeries’ making bread again in Gaza

Updated 55 min 21 sec ago
Follow

WFP says ‘handful of bakeries’ making bread again in Gaza

  • “A handful of bakeries in south and central Gaza have resumed bread production,” WFP said

ROME: The UN’s World Food Programme said Thursday a “handful of bakeries” in Gaza had begun making and distributing bread again after Israel allowed aid trucks into the Strip.


“A handful of bakeries in south and central Gaza... have resumed bread production after dozens of trucks were finally able to collect cargo from the Kerem Shalom border crossing and deliver it overnight,” the WFP said in a statement.

“These bakeries are now operational distributing bread via hot meal kitchens,” it said.


Morocco to spend $670m to replenish livestock up to 2026

Updated 22 May 2025
Follow

Morocco to spend $670m to replenish livestock up to 2026

  • Six years of drought reduced the cattle and sheep herds by 38 percent this year
  • The government also includes aid to farmers

RABAT: Morocco plans to spend 6.2 billion dirhams ($670 mln) on a 2025-2026 program to replenish its livestock herd, which has been reduced following years of prolonged drought, agriculture minister Ahmed El Bouari said on Thursday.

Six years of drought caused mass job losses in the farming sector and reduced the cattle and sheep herds by 38 percent this year, compared to the last census nine years ago.

Under the recovery program, 3 billion dirhams will be allocated in 2025 and 3.2 billion next year to measures including debt relief and restructuring for livestock farmers, as well as feed subsidies, Bouari told reporters.

The government also includes aid to farmers who retain breeding female livestock, along with veterinary campaigns, genetic improvement and artificial insemination, he said.

In February, authorities asked citizens to forgo the ritual of slaughtering sheep on the Eid Adha this year, to help restore the sheep herd.