At COP22, Jordan to seek funding for climate change response

AMMAN — Jordan’s delegation at the ongoing 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) in Marrakech, Morocco, will push for funding projects that tackle the impact of climate change on the Kingdom.

Minister of Environment Yaseen Khayyat is heading the delegation, which comprises representatives of ministries and government agencies, civil society institutions and the private sector, according to Environment Ministry Spokesperson Isa Shboul.

“Jordan will present during COP22 its national strategy to combat climate change, which features projects, programmes and plans to cut down the emission of greenhouse gases,” Shboul noted.

In addition, the delegation will meet with representatives of donor countries and international aid funds to negotiate the funding of projects that assist the country in its mitigation and adaptation efforts to climate change, the spokesperson said.

At a recent meeting with private sector representatives, Khayyat noted that a documentary tracking down Jordan’s achievements and success stories in the renewable energy sector as well as cooling via solar power will be viewed during the event.

French Environment Minister Segolene Royal announced at the opening ceremony of the UN talks that 100 countries have ratified the Paris Agreement, which entered into force last Friday, a record time for an international treaty, according to Agence France-Presse.

Parties began on Monday preparations for the entry into force of the Paris Agreement, which was approved last December. A total of 15,000 negotiators, CEOs and activists are participating in the 12-day talks.

Paris Agreement pushes world nations to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by the second half of this century and provides a path forward to limiting the global temperature rise to well below 2ºC, and to 1.5ºC if possible.