Upon arriving to the Red Sea city of El Gouna for the Egyptian-German Cairo Climate Talks’ (CCT) 61st session, a couple of my colleagues went to buy something from the supermarket. I was confused as to why they came back carrying white fabric bags. It took a few seconds for my memory to kick in: single-use plastic has now become history in the governorate. Established six years ago, CCT aims to encourage exchange of experiences and foster cooperation between policymakers, the business community, the scientific community as well as civil society. “We want climate change to be a mainstream topic, for people to relate to such issues,” said Amena Sharaf, the CCT Coordinator at the session. Since they would form a major route to the public, mainly journalists from different media entities were invited to the event. The location was not chosen without a reason. The Red Sea resort now has its first plastic-free hotel. It is also where the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA), one of the country’s major environmental organizations, is located. Desalination as a source of water is also on the rise. No Country for…
