How to Save Planet from Climate Change: Innovative Solutions

By: Wafaa Fayez

CAIRO, Mar. 30 (SEE)- The climate change is the hottest and most urgent issue for the international community today, given that climate change could have serious future impacts and implications; not least the droughts of some rivers, the sinking of large swathes of coastal areas, and the shifting of the map of the world’s agricultural production zones .

Global environmental organizations have launched a resounding cry out of global climate degradation and sounded alarmed bells to alert the countries that this deterioration could have catastrophic consequences as carbon emissions increase.

The reports of international organizations confirmed that Egypt will be one of the most countries affected by this climatic deterioration.

This damage could lead to the sinking of more than one-third of the Nile Delta and Egypt will have to displace between 15 and 20 million people. As a result, the country would face the consequences of losing more than 15 percent of its fertile land and agricultural products.

Egyptian efforts

Egypt was one of the first countries to sign the climate change agreement in 1994 and was among the first countries to sign the Kyoto Protocol to contribute to international efforts to combat the effects of climate change to establish projects under the CDM. Egypt called on the international community to fulfill its commitments to Cairo by providing the necessary technical and technical support for the development of institutional and research capacity in the field of climate change. Also, the country requested industrialized countries to fulfill their commitments to assist developing countries in transferring technology.

Egypt has played a key role in the success of the negotiations at COP24 by leading the Group of 77 and China, and chaired the group of African negotiators. Under the COP presidency consultations, Egypt and Germany co-facilitated matters related to climate finance. Egyptian government established the National Committee for Climate Change and implemented a number of projects in the field of improving energy efficiency, protection of coastal beaches and the development of some crops that can withstand temperature and salinity.

The government has established the National Committee for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which aims to promote its projects in Egypt and ensure that these projects achieve sustainable development objectives.

29 projects have met the CDM requirements and achieved an annual reduction of more than 5.5 million TEUs Carbon dioxide, and contributed to the localization of new and clean technologies. Thus, it created new jobs and injected additional financial revenues into the national economy.

"Also, the EU supports Egypt’s transformation into a regional energy hub," said Ahmed El-Beltagy, director of the European Union’s energy projects sector in Egypt. "The EU has provided financial and technical support to the Egyptian government."

El-Beltagy explained that the Union supports the Cairo 2035 strategy for the energy sector and Egypt’s ability to use electricity as renewable energy sources that preserve the environment. On the other hand, Dr. Sayed Khalifa, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the ministry launched a project to address climate change in Upper Egypt. The farmers got 100 motorbikes in five governorates in the region, as well as activating the early climate warning system to reduce the negative effects of weather fluctuations in Upper Egypt.

Last week, Egyptian Ministry of Environment, in cooperation with the German Embassy, organized the 59th Cairo Climate talks. It included climate negotiators, climate science experts, and policymakers to share their valuable insights on the major outcomes of COP24 and what opportunities Egypt can seize in this regard. Egyptian experts also discussed the impact of climate change on the sectors of water resources, agriculture, coasts, energy, tourism, industry, and animal production, where these sectors are affected by climate change.

Solutions offered by Experts

“SEE” interviewed many experts on climate change, sustainable development, environment, and engineering, who presented important solutions to help decision-makers in developing a national strategy to address climate change. The following are the solutions:

– Developing an emergency plan in cities and governorates that are affected by the negative of climatic fluctuations such as «high or low temperatures and increased erosion of beaches and sandstorms», and carrying out further studies to identify the abnormal phenomena that began to hit Egypt, such as heavy rainfall. This, in addition to providing sufficient funding by the government to implement environmental projects.

– Rationalizing the consumption of natural resources, including water and energy, and educating citizens and integrating them in the plan to address climate change, and encouraging the use of public transport, rather than inpidual means of transportation with the goal to rationalize the use of fuel.

– Relying on renewable energy in energy production, and the gradual abandonment of fossil fuels (petroleum, coal and natural gas).

– Planting trees in all neighborhoods, because they consume carbon and increase oxygen in the atmosphere, planting 12 million trees in Cairo, and tree forests around the cities (Green Belts) can be planted with wastewater treated with simple technologies and costs.

– Filtration of factory chimneys, taking into account that Cairo factories (12,600 factories) are responsible for 50% of the carbon production in the atmosphere. The experts propose devising simple techniques such as passing factory smoke on carbonated water ponds and producing electricity, Temperatures to about half.

– Waste recycling should be properly converted into useful products and electrical energy because the burning of garbage in Egypt causes 15% of air pollution. It is worth mentioning that Egypt produces about 52 million tons of waste annually (Cairo produces 25 thousand tons per day). Also, expanding the use of rice straw in agricultural industries and applications rather than burning it.

– Preventing the erosion of the Nile River and the agricultural canal cover. This can be done by solar cells, as in India. Thus, the country can control river discharge, produce clean, sustainable electricity to fill the energy deficit, and industrial feed by throwing periodic sand on the shore to protect it from erosion. However, this will not prevent the expected increase in saltwater intrusion and salinity gradually.

– Prohibition of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in agriculture, reliance on natural alternatives and sustainable organic agriculture (production of organic fertilizers from treated agricultural and animal waste.

Furthermore, international reports have identified the green building as a means of resisting climate change. It has been shown that green building reduces consumption of 30 percent of energy, 35 percent of carbon emissions and 50 percent of water consumption.

Dr. Ahmed Sharif, a professor of architecture at American University in Cairo, pointed to his experience in participating in green building projects in Egypt. He said that green building has multiple benefits for preserving the environment and facing climate change because it is characterized by low energy consumption. The construction of green buildings in Egypt will lead directly to the reduction of high temperatures and reduce the impact of the phenomenon of heat in the big cities.

Youth initiatives and citizen science

Minister of the Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, announced the launching of an initiative for the youth of the world to protect ecosystems from the effects of climate change in coordination with the United Nations Development Program.

"Youth initiatives will be presented to maintain environmental balance, rehabilitate degraded ecosystems and exchange experiences among young people," she said at the UN meeting. "The initiative will encourage them to integrate climate change and its impacts; ways of coping in graduation projects and seek funding for their implementation."

Mahitab Elramal, a researcher at the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, a fellow at the Institute of Hydrology and Environmental Engineering IHE-Delft, Netherlands said that adoption of the industrial ecology to promote sustainable development is a must. Meeting the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the needs of future generations has to be put on the policymakers’ agendas to assure minimizing the depletion of non-renewable resources and degradation of renewable ones.

Here are some approaches to mitigate the consequences of climate change in Egypt:

-Promoting the transaction to the circular economy which focuses on three main pillars, economic growth acceleration, and enhancing social life by creating jobs opportunities, and preserve the environment by preventing pollution of Green House Gas GHG emissions. Establishing eco-industrial clusters where the wastes and by-products of one company can be used as inputs for another industry is a bench-mark to lessen environmental degradation due to industrial activities in Egypt.

-Enhancing the capacity of wastewater treatment plants in Egypt is a promising step towards sustainable use of natural resources. Besides the wastewater treatment, wastewater plants can use hydraulic power of running wastewater to produce electricity to meet its power needs and provide power to the adjacent households. Wastewater treatments can recover energy and raw materials during regular treatment processes such as producing biogas, algae for animal feed, and chemicals production; Nitrogen and phosphate for fertilizers production; cellulose for paper production, recovery of carbon dioxide for cooling processes and heat for industrial and households applications.

-Engaging local people in environmental protection through citizen-science approaches is crucial for the successful environmental management plans in Egypt. People can be involved in air, water, biopersity monitoring. There are many smartphones’ applications that can be easily used by non-experienced people. These applications are connected to governmental data platforms, where people can upload their results valuable for the government decision-makers to set the proper climate change mitigation and adaptation plans.

Furthermore, the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) in Egypt, a regional, diplomatic organization aims at activating and increasing the utilization of renewable energy and energy efficiency practices in the Arab region.

The Center’s team is working with regional governments and international organizations to initiate and direct clean energy policy dialogue and strategies. With the accession of 17 Arab countries, it seeks to spearhead initiatives and expertise in renewable energy and efficiency in all Arab countries. Also, the center offers new training opportunities to young people to carry out research, analyze trends and technologies of renewable energy.