During the past two weeks, Heads of State, ministers, and negotiators, along with thousands of climate activists, mayors, civil society and Indigenous group representatives, academics, artists, and CEOs from around the world gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan to accelerate action towards tackling the climate crisis. With global temperatures hitting record highs, and extreme weather events affecting people around the globe, the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) has offered a pivotal opportunity to advance concrete solutions to the defining issue of our time.
As has been customary in every annual COP meeting since 1995, an array of topics was on the agenda for this year’s two-weeklong gathering. Considerable focus was given to better tackling the global climate emergency, such as urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience, and adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change. Importantly, COP29, which has been dubbed the “Financing COP” also placed a heavy emphasis on finance, as trillions of dollars are required for countries to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect lives and livelihoods from the worsening impacts of climate change. (At the time of writing, final agreements and pledges were unavailable.)
The conference also represented a key moment for countries to present their updated national climate action plans under the Paris agreement, which are due by early 2025. If conducted appropriately, these plans would limit global warming to 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels and double as investment plans advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Highlighting Eritrea’s participation
An Eritrean delegation led by Mr. Tesfai Ghebreselassie, the Minister of Land, Water and Environment, participated at COP29. In a statement he delivered earlier this week, Minister Tesfai noted that notwithstanding years of pledges and commitments, “…the steps taken to slash emissions at their main sources remain below what is required to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement; and much below what science recommends.” He also pointed out that the, “mobilization of climate finance is still critical. The terms and conditions to access to whatever is said to have been made available are not easy for the needy. Particularly, finance badly needed for adaptation has not been heeded to properly.”
Additionally, Minister Tesfai explained that despite Eritrea’s limited resources and capacity, it “…has been engaged forcefully in tackling the ominous impacts of climate change through nature-based generational programmes that focus on enhancing climate resilience of our communities and restoration of our degraded ecosystems…”
An overview of Eritrea’s efforts to tackle the adverse impacts of climate change
For Eritrea, a young, developing country, located in a region that is on the frontlines of the climate change crisis, the summit and many of the issues it raised were highly pertinent. The country is vulnerable to a number of climate-related hazards, such as recurrent droughts, flooding and storms, high winds (especially within coastal areas), locust swarms, and volcanic activity. Annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country remain relatively low and there are only small fluctuations per year. In 2018, GHG emissions were approximately 6.396 megatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2 eq.), about a 20.17 percent (or 1.073 Mt) increase from 2000 emissions and a slight decrease of 0.37 percent (or 0.0237 Mt) from 2015 emissions. Overall, the country accounts for among the smallest global shares of total global GHG emissions.
Notably, however, despite a range of different challenges, for years Eritrea has been making considerable efforts and investing resources toward climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk reduction, and disaster rehabilitation. It has signed and ratified a number of international climate change agreements, is finalizing its NDC (to be submitted early next year, established enclosures and protected areas, expanded sustainable irrigation schemes (including drip and sprinkler systems), and constructed hundreds of terraces, dams, and ponds. (The number of big and small dams has grown exponentially since the onset of independence, from 138 to above 800 at present, with hundreds of millions of cubic meters of water impounded in reservoirs structures nationwide. Many more dams are in various stages of planning or development, as well.) Additionally, it has developed plans for desalination of sea water for domestic and economic sectors, while households and communities nationwide, especially those in at-risk areas, also receive considerable support with adaptation strategies and technologies, helping to reduce vulnerability, strengthen resiliency, and secure livelihoods.
In addition to all of the above, renewable energy is being prioritized (which will help to minimize the dependence on unsustainable imported fossil fuels and reduce emissions from national power generation), while steps are actively being taken to improve energy efficiency and promote clean alternatives in transport, manufacturing, and household consumption.
One unique intervention has been the introduction of improved traditional stoves, locally known as “Adhanet”, which are energy efficient (decreasing consumption by 50 percent), minimize deforestation, and reduce safety and health hazards. Designed by the Ministry of Energy and Mines and distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture, more than 170,000 of these units have been installed in households and communities nationwide since 1998. Additionally, a number of projects are in place to conserve, restore, and enhance natural areas, including regular nationwide afforestation campaigns involving the active participation of communities, students, and youth groups, as well as water and soil conservation programs.
Importantly, as touched upon by Minister Tesfai, Eritrea is also giving special attention to environmental education and public awareness. This will enable the country’s people, especially the young, to better understand the utmost gravity of the climate change crisis and the indisputably fundamental need to live in harmony with nature.
An important moment
The world stands at an important juncture and is faced with considerable climate challenges. The question now is whether countries will not only commit, but also act decisively to meet these challenges.
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