2024-07-29 21:28:05
In a speech at the opening of the parliamentary meeting held on the occasion of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-28), Mr. Mayara stressed that Africa is today at the heart of climate change tragedies, despite being the continent that emits the least greenhouse gases, believing that this state of affairs compromises the prospects for progress and development of the continent and seriously threatens the fundamental rights of tens of millions of Africans.
According to estimates by the African Union, about 118 million people living in extreme poverty will face drought, floods and extreme heat by 2030, if appropriate measures are not taken to address them, stressing that this situation would greatly affect peace and security on the continent and promote new phenomena, in particular that of climate displacement.
In this context, Mr. Mayara called for thinking about a global plan to protect Africa from climate risks and to provide the necessary funds, for some countries on the continent, especially since the sub-Saharan African region will have to spend, according to some forecasts, between 2% and 3% of its GDP per year in order to face the consequences of climate change.
He stressed, in this regard, that the issue of combating climate change occupies a central place in the Kingdom’s development vision, which provides for the gradual transition to an ambitious national development model that is less dependent on polluting energies, through the implementation of anticipatory policies and measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating global warming, in addition to adopting an energy mix based on alternative energies in their solar, wind and marine forms.
Morocco, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has been able, thanks to effective public policies and major investments in the field of alternative energies, to achieve today a percentage of renewable energies of 37% of the national energy mix, noted Mr. Mayara, adding that this indicator confirms the Kingdom’s capacity to increase the share of renewable energies to 52% by 2030 and to achieve the broader objective of zero carbon by 2050.
All these orientations have enabled Morocco to appear among the ten best successful international experiences in the ranking of the Climate Change Performance Index for the year 2023, he highlighted.
Mr. Mayara, however, stressed that countries, however powerful or developed, cannot face the climate crisis independently of the international community, because the path to protect the future of the planet and reduce the climate crisis is a multilateral path par excellence, which makes it necessary to reflect on more effective and efficient methods of cooperation to face the phenomenon of climate change, adopting an approach based on solidarity, the exchange of good practices and permanent institutional consultation.
The President of the House of Councillors stressed, in this regard, that parliamentarians are called upon to mobilize globally in order to establish a common parliamentary agenda that will constitute the working basis of national parliaments to contribute to strengthening government commitments in the fight against the phenomenon of climate change and to accelerate the pace of achieving national carbon neutrality objectives.
International studies and research related to climate change paint a dark and frightening picture of the global climate situation, as the last ten years have been the hottest on record, at a time when the world is facing accelerating waves of natural disasters that threaten global stability, Mr. Mayara noted.
Among these natural disasters, he cited the worsening of droughts, hurricanes and devastating floods in several countries of the world, which negatively affects the economic situation in general and affects the daily lives of populations, particularly in the countries of the South.
According to the Speaker of the House of Councillors, parliaments are called upon to consider creating an international parliamentary mechanism to address the climate crisis, within the institutional framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which constitutes a common platform for continuously monitoring indicators of the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
This mechanism will also serve as a parliamentary space for the exchange of experiences, training and capacity development of national parliaments in the areas of legislation and monitoring of government work on projects to reduce emissions, adapt to the effects of the climate crisis and strengthen green growth mechanisms.
2024-07-29 21:28:05