AMMAN — Jordan’s
Ministry of Environment has
announced that the 2022 general budget would allocate, for the first time, specific
funds that are explicitly designated to address climate change in its most
pressing forms.
اضافة اعلان
Every
time the annual general budget is publicized, it elucidates how much capital
each ministry shall receive and how it must be spent within a given timeframe. This
year’s allocation of funds for the Ministry of Environment is unprecedented
because a sizable portion of the funds is geared towards departments in the
Ministry that solely focus on climate change and rectifying its harrowing
impact on Jordan.
According
to Al-Ghad News, an analysis of the Ministry of Environment’s expenditures has
revealed that its budget for 2022 is roughly 23 percent higher than its 2021 budget.
A closer look at the statistics also revealed that the Ministry's estimated
budget for 2022 will be hovering around the territory of JD6 million, compared
to its total spending from 2021, which is nearly JD5.5 million.
Some
government reports are predicting that the environment ministry’s expenditure
for 2023 might reach JD7 million. The investments will head towards an increase
in solar energy resources and green spaces, among a host of other environmental
projects.
Local
environmental experts are convinced that this is a much-needed step in the
right direction for Jordan while asserting that challenges remain inevitable.
Yehya
Khaled, an environmental expert and former member of the
Royal Society for the Protection of the Environment, believes that despite the laudable intent of
these investments, there remains a pivotal responsibility on every Jordanian to
be conscious of climate issues, in order to combat climate change effectively.
“No one is doubting that these
allocations are a massive improvement in our approach to climate change as a
nation. However, without each and every citizen taking their duty towards
climate seriously, by monitoring their day-to-day activities, the challenge
will remain arduous.”
Khaled
also explained that there are two strategies to deal with climate change, and
the first is mitigation, which involves cutting down on carbon emissions as a
means of mitigating the risks of climate change. The second strategy is
adaptation, which focuses on finding ways to readjust our lives in accordance
with the immutable changes brought forth by climate change, like saving water
as a response to water scarcity in Jordan.
“If Jordan needs help from external
parties, whether it’s financial help or scientific guidance, the
Green Climate Fund, which is a global entity, is very useful in providing financial
assistance to countries for mitigation and adaptation,” he remarked.
Jordanian
climate and sustainability adviser Shada Al-Sharif also lauded the budget’s
anomalous recognition of climate change needs, specifically its attention to
green spaces.
“While
monetary action is somewhat useful to face climate change, the maintenance of
green spaces, which are low-cost nature based solutions, are particularly
effective.” Sharif elaborated that the efficacy of green spaces stems from the
fact that they are carbon sinks, which means that they absorb carbon dioxide.
Green spaces are a part of Amman’s “Green City Action Plan.”
When
asked why it took so long for climate change to officially be a part of the
national budget, Sharif said that it’s probably because the effects of climate
change have become “especially pressing today.”
She
stressed that of all the climate issues that are looming large in Jordan, water
scarcity is undeniably the most critical of all. “As temperatures increase, our
reliance on water also increases.” The only problem is that water scarcity
convolutes this reliance on water to a concerning extent. This is why future
national budgets should put water scarcity at the forefront of its agenda.
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