Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries - (IPCC) - Working ...

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CHAPTER 2
GHG EMISSIONS: MITIGATION EFFORTS IN THE ARAB COUNTRIES
TABLE 1
I. INTRODUCTION
The ultimate objective <strong>of</strong> the United Nations
Framework Convention on <strong>Climate</strong> <strong>Change</strong>
(UNFCCC) is the stabilization <strong>of</strong> greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level
that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system.
Accordingly, under Article 4.1(b) <strong>of</strong> the
Convention, all Parties, including the Arab
countries, are required to undertake efforts to
reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and
or enhance GHG sinks (UNFCCC, 1992).
As climate change is a global problem, it calls
for a global solution taking into consideration
the principle agreed upon in the Rio declaration
in 1992, namely the principle <strong>of</strong> “common
but differentiated responsibilities.” This
implies that developed countries, which are historically
responsible for the largest part <strong>of</strong> the
accumulated GHGs in the atmosphere, should
take the lead in reducing GHG emissions given
their higher technological and financial capabilities.
Developing countries, including the
Arab countries, are requested to do their best to
adopt development activities utilizing less energy,
less water, and fewer raw materials, and to
produce less waste.
FIRST NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS OF THE
ARAB COUNTRIES
First national Communication
Country
2001 Algeria
2005 Bahrain
2003 Comoros
2002 Djibouti
1999 Egypt
1997 Jordan
1999 Lebanon
2002 Mauritania
2001 Morocco
2005 Saudi Arabia
2003 Sudan
2001 Tunisia
2007 United Arab Emirates
2001 Yemen
Source: http://unfccc.int/national_reports/non-annex_i_natcom/items/2979.php
Mitigation refers to efforts to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and to capture greenhouse
gases through land use changes such as forestation
or carbon capture and storage in deep geological
formations. Policies and measures to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions include
improving energy efficiency to reduce energy
consumption per unit <strong>of</strong> economic output,
switching to low or zero carbon fuels such as
switching from oil to natural gas, and using
renewable energy sources such as solar and
wind energy.
This chapter discusses the efforts undertaken
by Arab countries to mitigate GHG emissions.
It should be noted that such mitigation efforts
are not necessarily undertaken within national
climate change policies; rather, in most
instances they have been adopted to achieve
certain economic, social, or environmental
objectives. This chapter draws mainly on two
sources <strong>of</strong> information, national communications
<strong>of</strong> some Arab countries submitted as part
<strong>of</strong> their obligations within the UNFCCC and
information available in the public domain. At
present, 14 Arab countries have submitted their
initial national communications; none has submitted
their second communications yet.
Initial national communications are meant to
be the major source <strong>of</strong> information on the steps
taken to mitigate climate change. So far, however,
they rarely include detailed assessments <strong>of</strong>
past and/or ongoing mitigation projects or
activities; they focus instead on projects, activities
or programs and measures that are envisaged
for the future. Among the 14 initial
national communications investigated, only
Saudi Arabia’s report does not contain a section
on mitigation. Most <strong>of</strong> the initial national
communications have become outdated as
some date back to as early as 1997 (Jordan),
while the most recent one is that <strong>of</strong> the UAE
(2007) (Table 1).
Apart from the initial national communications,
documentations <strong>of</strong> Arab efforts to reduce
GHG emissions are very scarce. Thus, it is likely
that some <strong>of</strong> the ongoing or planned activities
have been overlooked due to a lack <strong>of</strong> information.
On the other hand, whenever enough
data was available, various Arab experiences on
specific mitigation areas are highlighted.
The Council <strong>of</strong> Arab Ministers Responsible for
the Environment (CAMRE) at its 19 th session
in 2007 adopted the Arab Ministerial