His Excellency Nizar Thamedi, Iraqi Minister of Environment, described the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) as “the moment to restore the real opportunity to preserve the planet,” noting that the conference focused during the past days on strengthening global and national efforts to reduce climate change, the pace of which has recently escalated, Iraq is one of the countries in the world most affected by climate change, which has manifested itself in desertification, water scarcity, and high temperatures.
He said in a statement to the Emirates News Agency, WAM, that the UAE has made great strides in climate action and a sustainable economy, and that Iraq is continuing its gradual transition towards a green economy, as his ministry will soon launch its strategy in this regard. The Iraqi Minister of Environment explained that the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) constituted a moment to restore the opportunity to preserve the planet by fulfilling pledges to combat climate change, most notably the fulfillment of the Paris Agreement, to limit the rise in the planet’s temperature by 1.5 degrees Celsius.
He added: “Iraq is participating in COP28 strongly through various presidential, governmental, parliamentary, youth, women’s and private sector teams. This is the first time it has participated in climate conferences with such momentum.” He pointed out that the Iraqi government allocated, in the 2023 budget, for the first time in the history of its financial budgets, an item for the environment and climate, the aim of which is to enhance the protection and improvement of the environment to preserve public health, natural resources, and biodiversity, in a way that ensures sustainable development and achieves international and regional cooperation in this field.
He explained that Iraq’s climate policy, represented by the National Contributions Document (NDC), focused on the use of renewable energies, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, sustaining energy efficiency, and achieving sustainable development goals. The Iraqi minister said: “The environment and climate file is among the most important Iraqi files, as 4 decades have left behind… “Many environmental impacts,” indicating that his country’s government has an ambitious program in this regard, and that it has completed important projects in the climate and environmental field, including renewable energy projects, and others in the field of agriculture, environmental resources, and confronting water scarcity. He indicated that Iraq is in the process of preparing to host a regional conference on Environment and climate during the first quarter of next year, calling on Egypt and the UAE, in their capacity as presidents of the “COP27” and “COP28” climate conferences, to participate in this conference, which is the first of its kind regionally.
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