Shaaban Bilal (Cairo)
The UAE continues its efforts to combat climate change and its impact on the issue of migration globally, especially in poor areas and fragile societies, within the framework of hosting the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at its twenty-eighth session (COP28) next November.
Experts and analysts assert that the COP28 conference is to address the causes of what is known as “climate migration,” pointing out that climate change is a direct cause of increased migration, especially irregular ones, as a result of food shortages, tensions and conflicts resulting from drought and water shortages, or more serious repercussions such as earthquakes, floods and torrents.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations indicates that the changes resulting from the climate crisis, such as the degradation of agricultural land, the disruption of fragile ecosystems, and the depletion of precious natural resources such as fresh water, will affect migration patterns, while the World Bank predicted that internal climate migration will reach 143 million people by 2050 in three regions of the world, if no climate action is taken.
Experts told Al-Ittihad that the UAE’s position is firm on the pressing issues caused by climate change in the world, including food shortages, tensions and conflicts between farmers and herders, and migration issues, explaining that the issues ultimately lead to undermining stability in the most fragile regions.
Climate expert and professor of water resources, Dr. Osama Salam, said that climate change leads to a wide range of negative effects, such as rising sea levels, changing precipitation patterns in many regions, and increasing the frequency of natural disasters, adding that these effects will of course lead to mass migration from the affected areas to safer areas, which will put great and multiple pressures on the countries hosting these refugees. He pointed to the importance of discussing the repercussions of climate change on population migration patterns in the affected countries, especially African countries, during the COP28 conference.
He added to Al-Ittihad that climate change and migration are important issues that undermine stability in the most fragile regions of the world, explaining that countries that usually suffer the effects of climate change are often poor countries, and this leads to exacerbation of disputes and conflicts, which increases the suffering of the population and increases the possibility of migration.
Salam pointed out that the UAE has announced its goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, and it is also investing in developing renewable energy sources, noting that it is also working to enhance international cooperation in the field of climate change, and is considered one of the leading countries in this field.
He pointed out that these steps will greatly help reduce the effects of climate change and migration, and protect the most vulnerable societies from these global challenges.
For his part, environmental expert Thaer Youssef said that the climate change has caused a major earthquake in the structure of the global system, due to the high temperatures, water scarcity, and widening areas of drought and desertification in many countries, which prompted many farmers to migrate their lands and search for other work within their countries or other countries, all of this changed the nature of societies.
He added to Al-Ittihad that it was necessary for countries to take upon themselves the creation of environmental and societal balance and to bring about changes that would cause reverse migration, pointing out that the UAE plays a major role in holding, organizing and sponsoring dozens of these meetings and conferences that resulted in the issuance of many decisions that took effect.
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