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Egypt Today
16-05-2025
- Business
- Egypt Today
Egypt, Canada strengthen environmental cooperation with focus on green transition and climate action
File- Egyptian Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad - press photo CAIRO – 16 May 2025: Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad held a meeting with Canadian Ambassador to Egypt Louis Dumas and his accompanying delegation to discuss ongoing and future cooperation on environmental issues at both national and multilateral levels. The meeting was attended by Ambassador Raouf Saad, Advisor to the Minister on Multilateral Agreements, and Soha Taher, Head of the Central Administration for International Cooperation and Climate Change. Fouad praised the long-standing and distinguished environmental partnership between Egypt and Canada, highlighting Canada's early support in building Egypt's environmental capabilities, particularly in data management through the development of an environmental information system, which played a crucial role in understanding and addressing complex environmental challenges. The discussions covered collaborative efforts at the multilateral level, particularly during the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) held in Canada, where both countries worked together to establish a global biodiversity framework. The two sides praised the joint cooperation during the COP27 Climate Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh and COP28 in Dubai, where Egypt and Canada jointly led consultations on climate finance, resulting in an agreement to scale up climate funding. The minister presented Egypt's vision for green transformation, which centers on raising ambition, encouraging green investment, and engaging the private sector. She emphasized Egypt's aspiration to become a regional hub for green hydrogen and renewable energy, leveraging its significant natural capital and reaffirmed the state's commitment to inclusive green transition, supported by the government, civil society, and local communities alike. She also referenced presidential directives issued since 2018 to ensure active youth and women participation in environmental efforts, beyond mere awareness. Notable examples include small-scale waste management projects and the conservation of natural reserves, she said. The 'Eco Egypt' campaign was cited as a successful initiative promoting eco-tourism through youth and entrepreneur engagement. The minister elaborated on Egypt's policy approach to tackling plastic pollution, a pressing global and national challenge. She mentioned the Cabinet's approval of extended producer responsibility regulations for plastic bags under the Waste Management Law, alongside changes in production standards and the introduction of alternatives. A public awareness campaign on reducing single-use plastics is being prepared, in line with World Environment Day's theme of reducing plastic pollution, she said. The role of education in addressing environmental challenges was also a key topic. Fouad stressed the importance of integrating global environmental issues such as biodiversity and climate change into the national education system. Egypt has already incorporated these topics into school curricula and welcomed Canadian interest in developing technical education that includes environmental and sustainability components, she said. The Canadian ambassador commended the historical depth of Egyptian-Canadian relations and expressed Canada's intention to support Egypt's green transition. He highlighted areas of potential cooperation, including technical education aligned with environmental sustainability, smart agriculture, and research partnerships aimed at addressing environmental priorities.
Arab News
25-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Our environment is a treasure — and our legacy
As we mark Saudi Environment Week 2025 under the theme 'Our environment is a treasure,' I find myself reflecting not just on the beauty of the land and seascapes we are fortunate stewards of, but on the responsibility that comes with them. Not long ago, I stood shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues — our CEO John Pagano among them — knee-deep in the warm, shallow waters of the Red Sea coast, planting mangrove seedlings. It was not a photo opportunity. It was a hands-on reminder that the environmental commitments we speak about in boardrooms must be lived and felt on the ground. Watching each person, from senior leaders to team members, dig, plant, and share stories that day drove home an important truth: real change. At Red Sea Global, this spirit informs our approach to regenerative tourism. Rather than simply minimizing harm, we seek to leave these extraordinary places better than we found them — enhancing biodiversity, restoring habitats, and building resilience. The momentum behind nature-positive development is growing globally, and Saudi Arabia is positioning itself at the forefront. The World Travel and Tourism Council forecasts that the Kingdom will welcome more than 150 million visitors annually by 2030, with travel and tourism contributing more than 12 percent to national gross domestic product. In 2024, inbound tourism spending reached a record SR154 billion ($41 billion) — the highest in the Kingdom's history — according to the Saudi Tourism Authority. But the future of tourism cannot only be about visitor numbers. The UN has declared the 2020s the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, calling on all sectors to prioritize nature recovery. At the same time, landmark agreements such as the Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15, which commits nations to protecting 30 percent of land and sea territory by 2030, are redefining the minimum standard for responsible development. Most recently, Saudi Arabia hosted the UN Convention to Combat Desertification — COP16 — in Riyadh, where world leaders came together to address land degradation and drought resilience. The Kingdom's leadership helped catalyze more than $12 billion in pledges through the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, affirming that environmental stewardship is no longer a sideline issue — it is central to economic resilience, public health, and regional stability. Against this backdrop, regenerative tourism is fast becoming the global benchmark. Our flagship destination, The Red Sea, was master-planned with the help of the largest marine spatial planning simulation ever undertaken in the region. The outcome? A clear decision to limit development to just 22 of the region's more than 90 islands — leaving the vast majority of this pristine archipelago untouched. This approach reflects our commitment to safeguarding biodiversity, preserving fragile ecosystems, and ensuring that tourism development remains sustainable and low-impact for generations to come. We have also committed to achieving a 30 percent net conservation benefit by 2040, focusing on restoring critical habitats such as mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. Regeneration is not a project. It is a mindset. And it is one we are proud to champion — not because it is easy, but because it is essential. Raed Albasseet Our renewable energy program is already one of the largest of its kind globally for a tourism destination. More than 760,500 photovoltaic panels power our operations, supported by one of the world's largest off-grid battery storage systems. These are not pilot projects — they are part of the day-to-day reality across our resorts. Our work supports the ambitions of the Saudi Green Initiative, which pledges to plant 10 billion trees and protect 30 percent of Saudi Arabia's land and sea by 2030. But we believe this must go beyond policy commitments and become a lived experience for visitors and communities alike. That is why we have embedded regeneration into how we design experiences. Visitors can snorkel among healthy reefs, kayak through mangrove channels, and — like my colleagues and I did — participate directly in restoration activities, connecting personally with the landscapes they have come to admire. Regeneration is not a project. It is a mindset. And it is one we are proud to champion — not because it is easy, but because it is essential. With Saudi Arabia having hosted COP16, the first time this pivotal conference was held in the region, the spotlight was rightly placed on solutions that address desertification, land degradation, and drought resilience. These are the very issues we are working to address through regenerative tourism models that prioritize water-efficient landscaping, habitat rehabilitation, and climate adaptation. I am confident that the Kingdom's leadership at COP16 will serve as a catalyst for greater shared learning and international collaboration, because, while environmental challenges know no borders, neither should the solutions. When I planted those mangrove seedlings alongside my colleagues, I could not help but think about the long game. Mangroves take years to mature. Their full benefit to marine life, to coastal protection, to carbon sequestration, will be felt by those who come long after us. That, to me, is what regeneration is truly about. It is about decisions made today that will shape the experiences and opportunities of tomorrow. It is about choosing to be good ancestors. As the Kingdom's tourism sector continues to grow and welcome millions more visitors each year, we have a rare opportunity to not just meet global standards but redefine them. We can show the world that tourism can be an engine for restoration and demonstrate that the environment is a treasure to be cherished and passed on. I believe this is the legacy worth striving for. Real change can only be achieved through genuine collaboration, grounded humility, and purposeful action. • Raed Albasseet is group chief environment and sustainability officer at Red Sea Global.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists uncover disturbing consequence of modern food systems — and it's putting multiple species at risk
As the world focuses on solving food insecurity and feeding a growing population, a new study reveals a hidden cost: biodiversity loss in the ecosystems that sustain us. According to research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, modern agriculture and fishing methods reshape landscapes and seascapes so dramatically that entire ecosystems are losing their stability and resilience. Researchers reviewed several studies to understand how food production practices impact global ecosystems. Their conclusion? In our effort to grow more food faster, we've made our environments weaker. Forests and prairies have been flattened into monoculture farms. In lakes and oceans, fishing practices remove top predator species and disrupt food webs. What's left are simplified systems that can't withstand environmental stresses. These changes are especially harmful in biodiversity hotspots — regions rich with a wide variety of plant and animal species. Places including North America's Great Lakes, home to migratory birds and intersecting fish species, are being hit particularly hard. When ecosystems lose diversity, they lose balance. That can mean fewer pollinators, less fertile soil, and more crop failures, directly impacting our food supply. It also may mean less carbon is stored in soil and water systems, leading to fewer natural buffers against floods and droughts. So, while we may be producing more food today, we're putting the long-term future of our food systems and communities at risk. These simplified ecosystems are also less adaptable to changing conditions, an increasing concern as extreme weather and environmental variability become the norm. In short, this isn't just a nature problem. It's a people problem. Thankfully, scientists and conservationists are pushing for solutions that mimic nature's complexity. On land, regenerative practices such as intercropping, crop rotation, and restoring wetlands can help rebuild habitats and support biodiversity. In the water, ecosystem-based fisheries management can prioritize resilience over yields. There's also momentum at the policy level. The COP15 summit's 30 by 30 initiative aimed to protect 30% of the planet's land and water by 2030, a vital benchmark for conserving the ecosystems we rely on. Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. On the individual level, supporting local farmers who use sustainable practices, cutting back on food waste, and learning more about biodiversity-friendly living are all ways to help. Because protecting nature isn't just good for the planet — it is essential for the survival of us all. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Reuters
17-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Policy Watch: Tough road ahead for nature, despite ‘historic' conservation pact
Summary $200 billion in annual funding for developing nations under new conservation strategy But U.S. cuts to Green Climate Fund and USAID leave a $365 million funding gap Developed nations to raise $20bln this year, scaling to $30bln annually by 2030 $2.6 trillion identified as harmful subsidies driving nature loss The Global Environment Facility pledges $383 million for biodiversity March 17 - There were tears of joy in Rome last month as negotiators reconvened to pick up where COP16 biodiversity talks left off last November. In what was described as a win for multilateralism, they agreed a strategy to mobilise $200 billion annual funding for developing nations by 2030 and beyond, to halt the destruction of nature. Some of the money will be generated by instruments including debt-for-nature-swaps and biodiversity offsets. Parties also agreed a mechanism to assess progress towards meeting the target to protect and restore 30% of land and ocean by 2030, which was agreed at COP15 in Montreal two years ago. But with less than five years to go, there's little time to turn an historic agreement into concrete action. The task is made more daunting by the U.S. pulling funding for nature and climate, and denouncing the United Nations sustainable development goals. Some European nations, including the UK, are also pivoting from development aid to defence in response to the Trump administration's rethink of its approach to European security. The U.S. has reneged on $4 billion of pledges to the Green Climate Fund and axed almost all the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) budget, opens new tab. This year, more than $365 million was to have been made available via USAID for biodiversity conservation programmes – money that often provides an anchor to pull in other funders. For example, in the five years to 2023, USAID tropical forest conservation work mobilised over $1 billion, opens new tab in public and private sector investment. All over the world project partners are trying to work out how to plug the gaps. In Cambodia, the loss of just a $1 million bridging funding threatens a $15 million project to protect the pristine forest of the Cardamom Mountains, and the rare wildlife within it. It has left conservation groups scrambling to try to find new funding. Jill Hepp, senior director in Conservation International's global policy team, says: 'It is the question around foundations and private sector partners being able to step up (and) other donor governments potentially taking more of a role.' Eliane Ubalijoro is chief executive officer of the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), which has 270 active conservation projects around the world. 'We can start with a coalition of the willing, and over the next decade, get more people involved to ensure that financing nature is something that all parts of society take a part in,' she says. Her argument: 'We can all thrive together if we all invest in nature together.' To speed up delivery of money, the COP16 secretariat is tasked with encouraging a dialogue between environment and finance ministers, something that already happens in the climate space. Brian O'Donnell executive director of the conservation NGO Campaign for Nature, describes it as a key opportunity: 'Process alone won't solve it, but it will certainly elevate the issue and have (ministers) recognise the challenge,' he adds. Ubalijoro agrees, and says the question now is 'how do we get granular data going out so that the people who need to look at the financial flows from governments, financial flows from the private sector, from an investment world, all help us build a nature positive net zero world.' One positive sign that the financial world has got the message comes in a recent report from investors BlackRock, opens new tab, which acknowledged that more than half of GDP – some $58 trillion – is 'moderately or highly dependent on nature.' Ubalijoro, who is based in Nairobi, Kenya, says: 'I've been to meetings with the insurance banking community to discuss how are they accounting for nature in their bottom line. So, if we can do this here in Africa, this can be done everywhere in the world.' As the first staging post to filling the $700 billion biodiversity finance gap, developed countries (other than the U.S. which is not a signatory to the convention), agreed to come up with $20bn this year, ramping up towards $30 billion a year by 2030. The latest figures collated by the OECD, opens new tab are already out of date, but they suggest that in 2022 (when the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was agreed), biodiversity-specific development finance amounted to $15.4 billion. So 'coming up with $20 billion per year can and should be achievable,' says O'Donnell. At COP15 in Montreal, China committed $200 million to a biodiversity fund but has contributed just under $7 million , opens new tab so far. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) which currently hosts the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, established after COP15, announced it had $383 million in pledges and had approved over $3 billion in projects that are expected to mobilise $22 billion in co-financing, including $1.9 billion from the private sector. Other recent announcements include a $100 billion Nature Investment Coalition launched by Denmark's World Climate Foundation and Goldman Sachs' Biodiversity Bond Fund, which aims to raise up to $500 million over the next five years, reflecting a demand from investors especially in Europe. In the final days of the Biden administration, Congress established the US Foundation for International Conservation, which was designed to provide up to $100 million each year in federal funds, matched two to one by philanthropy and the private sector. 'While the board still needs to be selected, it is one of the only bright spots for international conservation funding from the U.S.' notes O'Donnell. It's also a model that other governments could adopt. OECD figures suggest a small but growing share of biodiversity finance mobilised from the private sector. Between 2021 and 2022 this more than doubled to over $1.7 billion, albeit the majority from just three nations – the U.S., France and Australia. As with efforts on climate, the elephant in the room is subsidies. When the GBF was agreed in Montreal in 2022, nations agreed by 2025 – that's this year – to identify the subsidies that need to be phased out, reformed or substituted and to progressively reduce them by $500 billion a year by 2030. They should also scale up positive incentives to conserve nature. 'There has been almost no movement in governments to reform those subsidies,' says O'Donnell. '(It) should be obvious now in these constrained times that if you say you have no money to fund the conservation of nature, then you shouldn't have the money to fund the destruction of nature.' Conservation International's Hepp points to the need for policy coherence. Alignment of finance and environment ministries potentially frees up resources or avoids resources being used to repair problems caused by, for example, deforestation – that were themselves unintentionally encouraged by subsidies. 'Given the shifting development and aid landscape, this focus on efficiency of use of existing resources is going to be even more key over the next five years,' she suggests. Research carried out for Business for Nature put global environmentally harmful subsidies at least $2.6 trillion, opens new tab, or 2.5% of global GDP. They include fossil fuels and non-energy mining, because these sectors combine to drive nature loss. EU member states had until this month to report on energy subsidies and set out any measures to reform them. When it comes to other environmentally harmful subsidies, the European Commission has developed a methodology to guide member states, but so far, reporting is voluntary. Governments alone won't be successful in redirecting subsidies, suggests Eva Zabey, who leads Business for Nature. 'Business has to be part of that.' Businesses that benefit from genetic resources can also start contributing to the Cali Fund, that was formally launched at COP16 in Rome. Companies that use digital sequence information from genetic resources, including pharmaceutical, biotech and agricultural companies, are being asked to share a portion of their revenues with developing countries, indigenous peoples and local communities. But it is voluntary. 'I think there's an appetite to want to be part of the solution and to want to contribute. But there are practical questions of how the money will be collected (and) used. What will the overall governance be?' says Zabey. The UK government says it's been engaging with industry since the benefit-sharing mechanism was adopted last November, while companies such as Novo Nordisk (whose Ozempic drug has its origins in the poisonous venom of a north American lizard) say they're 'actively following the process'. Perhaps the best hope for nature depends on setting aside the politics and looking at the bottom line.
Boston Globe
25-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
In Rome, talks to protect Earth's biodiversity resume with money topping the agenda
But two weeks turned out to be not enough time to get everything done. Advertisement The Cali talks followed the historic 2022 COP15 accord in Montreal, which included 23 measures aimed at protecting biodiversity. Those included putting 30 percent of the planet and 30 percent of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030, known as the Global Biodiversity Framework. 'Montreal was about the 'what' — what are we all working towards together?' said Georgina Chandler, head of policy and campaigns for the Zoological Society London. 'Cali was supposed to focus on the 'how' — putting the plans and the financing in place to ensure we can actually implement this framework.' 'They eventually lost a quorum because people simply went home,' said Linda Krueger of The Nature Conservancy, who is in Rome for the two days of talks. 'And so now we're having to finish these last critical decisions, which are some of the the nitty gritty decisions on financing, on resource mobilization and on the planning and monitoring and reporting requirements under the Global Biodiversity Framework.' The overall financial aim was to achieve $20 billion a year in the fund by 2025, and then $30 billion by 2030. So far, only $383 million had been pledged as of November, from 12 nations or sub-nations: Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Province of Québec, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Participants will discuss establishing a 'global financing instrument for biodiversity,' intended to effectively distribute the money raised. And a big part of the talks will be about raising more money. Advertisement Chandler and Krueger both said the finance points at Colombia's talks were particularly contentious. 'It's really about how do we collect the money and how do we get it distributed fairly, get it to the ground where it's needed most, so that that's really the core issue,' said Krueger. Oscar Soria, chief executive of The Common Initiative, a think tank specializing in global economic and environmental policy, was pessimistic about raising a great deal more money. 'We are completely off track in terms of achieving that money,' Soria said. Key sources of biodiversity finance are shrinking or disappearing, he said. 'What was supposed to be a good Colombian telenovela in which people will actually bring the right resources, and the happy ending of bringing their money, could actually end up being a tragic Italian opera, where no one actually agrees to anything and everyone loses,' Soria said. Susana Muhamad, Colombia's former environment minister and the COP16 president, said she is hopeful for 'a good message from Rome.' 'That message is that still, even with a very fragmented geopolitical landscape, with a world increasingly in conflict, we can still get an agreement on some fundamental issues,' Muhamad said in a statement. 'And one of the most important is the need to protect life in this crisis of climate change and biodiversity.' Global wildlife populations have plunged on average by 73 percent in 50 years, according to an October report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London. 'Biodiversity is basically essential to our livelihoods and well-being,' Chandler said. 'It's essential to the the air we breathe, the water we drink, rainfall that food systems rely on, protecting us from increasing temperatures, and increasing storm occurrences as well.' Advertisement Chandler said deforestation in the Amazon has far-reaching impacts across South America, just as it does in the Congo Basin and other major biodiverse regions worldwide. 'We know that has an impact on rainfall, on food systems, on soil integrity in other countries. So it's not just something that's kind of small and isolated. It's a widespread problem,' she said.
