Oman joins regional Climate Change Initiative

MUSCAT, NOV 20

The Sultanate of Oman has joined hands with member countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) to launch a new initiative to address potential climate change impacts that could have devastating consequences for the region.

In all, 10 countries of the EMME region adopted a declaration to officially launch the EMME Climate Change Initiative (EMME-CCI) against the backdrop of the recently concluded COP27 Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

At stake for the EMME region, which includes Oman and the wider Arabian Peninsula, is a climate crisis that could have potentially far-reaching global consequences, the grouping has warned. The estimated 450 million inhabitants of the region, it has pointed out, are at risk of a 5 degree C increase in mean annual temperature by the end of the century under a ‘business as usual’ scenario.

In the upshot, the consequences will be catastrophic for the region, triggering “social collapse and mass migration, unless immediate action is taken on mitigation and adaptation through strong regional cooperation,” it has stressed.

Joining Oman in adopting the EMME-CCI Declaration were Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, and the State of Palestine, among other countries. Also attending as Observers were representatives of a number of international organisations focused on climate change mitigation.

“The adoption of the Political Declaration earmarks the official launch of the Initiative which has been undertaken by Cyprus since 2019. It constitutes a historic milestone for the region’s resilience and prosperity, as it notes the willingness of the undersigned countries to act in a coordinated way to achieve concerted action for the mitigation and adaptation of the climate crisis in the EMME,” the grouping said in a statement.

The primary objective of the EMME Initiative is to coordinate transboundary mitigation and adaptation activities in support of the goals of the Paris Agreement.

To this end, it aims to formulate region-specific policies in coordination with transnational and international organisations such as the World Meteorological Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Health Organisation, to address the overall impacts of climate change.

It will also support investigations of specific techno-economic scenarios to mitigate climate change effects in the EMME countries. Marshalling the necessary resources to achieve this goals is also part of its remit.

Oman stands to benefit significantly from the activities and programmes of the EMME-CCI. Given its geographical location overlooking the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, the Sultanate of Oman has been repeatedly impacted by extreme weather events triggered by climate change.

Flash flooding, inundation and storm surges linked to tropical cyclones have caused hundreds of millions of Omani rials in infrastructure and property damage over the past two decades, in addition to significant loss of human life.