The Egypt’s National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction is a multi-sectoral document which addresses climate change and adaptation measures as part of an integrated strategy of the Egyptian government and its sustainable development programs and plans. The planning or implementation of any project or program incorporated in the development plans would therefore take into account the impacts of climate change. The Strategy lays out risks, disasters, and crises generated by climate change in each sector, mainly the impact on the coastal areas, water resources, agriculture, health and population and tourism, and ends with a presentation of the risks related to food security. In view of the continuous updating of the expected impacts resulting from climate change, this is a flexible and living strategy, adopting a twin-track approach. The first five years address the urgent issues that cannot be deferred, followed by three five-year plans. The National Strategy aims at achieving the following goals: increasing the flexibility of the Egyptian community in dealing with the risks and disasters caused by climate change and its impact on different sectors and activities and enhancing the capacity to absorb and contain climate-related risks and disasters. In essence, the strategy adopts adaptation and protection as the two basic means of defense, considering the minimum temperature increase of no more than 2° Celsius and two sea level rise scenarios of 0.5 meters and 1 meter until the end of the 21st century, as foreseen by the Copenhagen Accord of 2010. In order to achieve the goals, the following determinants must be met: political will; provision of human, financial and natural resources; reform and amendments of legislation, laws and institutional frameworks; strengthening of the information, monitoring, assessment and follow up national system; identification of performance indicators and development of a national model for social and economic analysis and projection. After underlying causes of food security situation in Egypt, the Strategy in Chapter 4 indicates possible actions to improve the chances of achieving food security, as follows: the government should provide highly accurate information on weather conditions for a period of 6 – 8 months to help farmers select the suitable crops or animal feeds; promote scientific research and training programs; shift agricultural production from one location to another; provide agricultural policies to help the identification and distribution of plant varieties according to the anticipated climate change or help farmers migrate internally; pay attention to productivity and social issues of target groups (i.e. small farmers and breeders); focus on health, education and women is considered among the measures to be taken in order to activate the real role of adaptation to climate change; reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the agriculture sector, increase the storage of organic carbon in the soil; provide all those who work in the agriculture sector with the appropriate technologies,funding, and the sound management of water resources, land, and biodiversity; upgrade the performance of agricultural extension agencies to help farmers adapt to climate change; increase the investments aiming agricultural productivity by developing new agricultural techniques, which would indirectly help reduce poverty, through the creation of new jobs and reduced food prices; promote a partnership between food and agricultural industry and farmers’ communities through seasonal contracts; put in place an insurance system against the risks of climate change and its impact on small farmers to provide funds for the family’s nutritional needs in case productivity deteriorates as a result of sudden climate change. In the agricultural sector, the recommended adaptation methods are mainly the establishment of an effective institutional crisis management and disaster reduction system, the conservation of biodiversity, the sound management of soil, arable land, water resources, crop irrigation, the promotion of livestock and fish resources, the adjustment and improvement of economic and agricultural systems and the improvement of the rural community’s conditions. Regarding the water resources and the irrigation sector, the strategy identifies the determinants of an integrated water management system, population increase, fragmented agricultural holdings, a free crop structure, the lack of financial resources, water pollution, and inappropriate legislations in addition to other social and economic factors. For an effective institutional crisis management and disaster reduction system, Chapter 6 indicates as necessary: to identify the best methods and programs to support the capacity of small farmers in adapting to climate change through the multi-stakeholder approach (farmers, civil society, agricultural extension, agricultural cooperatives and others); a more developed participation of rural communities in the management of their resources (soil, water, fertilizer and outputs), as well as their participation in decisions related to the expected changes in climate indicators and their impact on the productivity of the rural family, together with capacity improvement of rural communities to participate in the development and implementation of national policies in the field of adaptation and disaster and crisis risk reduction. Chapter 5 is one of the key chapters of the Strategy. It examines the methods and means of adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction. This chapter summarizes the general framework and the principles related to it for sectors and areas. It is divided in the Coastal Zone and the Affected Zones (Water Resources and Irrigation Sector, Agriculture, Health Sector, Rural Areas, Housing and Roads Sector, Tourism Sector). The proposed framework of the action program of adaptation to climate change is presented in Chapter 9, divided by different fields. Chapter 10 addresses the estimated costs expected for the proposed actions.
Egipto · 2011-12-01