COP27 host Egypt vows to reach 100% green projects by 2030

National Bank big blue building in Cairo, Egypt

According to Egypt’s Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, the country is on track to have all of its national projects comply with green standards by 2030 as the Cop27 host attempts to set an example for other African nations.

“Forty percent of the national budget that funds our national projects is for green projects, and we’re increasing that every year,” said Dr. Fouad on the sidelines of the Egypt International Co-operation Forum (ICF) in Cairo during a three-month forum that took place just two months before the UN Climate Summit at the Egyptian City of Sharm El Sheikh.

The conference was designed to highlight the potential and problems that the continent of Africa faces as a whole. Participants included climate leaders, development partners, the commercial sector, charitable organizations, think tanks, and civil society. As a result, Egypt established a target of 50% government funding for green projects by 2025 and 100% by 2030 as part of its Vision 2030 strategy.

The nation would hit the 50% mark by 2024–2025 during the ICF launching on Wednesday — Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of Egypt

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi stated that the nation would hit the 50% mark by 2024–2025 during the ICF launching on Wednesday. According to Dr. Fouad, the environment ministry is responsible for ensuring that initiatives from the transportation industry to waste management adhere to sustainable standards.

In accordance with the Paris Agreement, Egypt revised its Nationally Determined Contributions in June and made them public. They stand for the strategies that many nations want to use to keep global warming to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels. In addition, to help the conference go “from pledges to implementation,” Egypt has invited other African nations to publish their NDCs before Cop27.

“A Cop for implementation would simply mean that we would need to ensure that the decisions made [at Cop26] in Glasgow will be fulfilled,” Dr. Fouad said. He further specified, “there is an urgency for countries to update their NDCs, so we need to see that momentum of more NDCs coming to the secretariat.”

Forty percent of the national budget that funds our national projects is for green projects, and we’re increasing that every year —Dr. Fouad, Minister of Environment of the Arabic Republic of Egypt

The president has stated that the top carbon emitters in the world must shoulder the lion’s share of the financial burden for mitigation and adaptation programs as Egypt only contributes 0.6% of the world’s carbon emissions. The environment ministry has recently concentrated on waste management and air pollution concerns, particularly in the Nile Valley and Delta, where roughly 95% of the 103 million people live.

Egypt is also creating new cities like New Alamein City on the Mediterranean coast and its New Administrative Capital to the east of Cairo in an effort to spread out its urban population. A “New Country strategy 2022-2026” was also laid forth by the African Development Bank and the Ministry of International Cooperation to advance climate-smart agricultural practices and boost the production of renewable energy.