Egypt’s COP27 to Mobilize International Action to Protect Seas, Oceans

Oceans play a critical role in protecting our climate, as scientists say the seas have absorbed 90% of all the warming in the past 50 years. However, rising temperatures due to global warming are also leading to rising sea levels, which threatens people’s livelihoods as it is estimated that by the year 2100, rising sea levels will threaten 200 million people who live in low-lying coastal areas.

During the One Ocean Summit in France, President Al-Sisi announced that Egypt, as host of this year’s UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP 27), is calling for the international community to take further action in protecting the seas and oceans from the negative effects of climate change, as seas and oceans play a role in boosting economic activity by linking countries and cultures, and contributing to the movement of international trade and navigation. 

COP27 also aims to foster dialogue to deliver ambitious results and develop initiatives that build on the outcomes of the third United Nations Ocean Conference, which will be hosted by Portugal in June. 

Held in Sharm El-Sheikh, COP27 will urge international action to mitigate the repercussions of climate change on seas and oceans, and to mobilize financing for developing countries, and African countries in particular.

President Al-Sisi added that Egypt prioritizes enacting legal frameworks to regulate economic activities surrounding seas and oceans to ensure the sustainability and preservation of marine resources, and that Egypt has taken a number of steps in the production of green hydrogen, which reduces the volume of emissions from the maritime transport sector.

In the next period, Egypt aims to put forward ideas and initiatives with development partners with the aim of mobilizing more support for protecting oceans and seas, the President added, and contribute to achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Accords.

This year, Egypt launched the first of its kind marine conservation campaign on the occasion of World Environment Day, which aims to raise awareness about marine conservation in the red sea and highlight the importance of ecosystem protection and restoration.