Egypt’s Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, has participated in the opening of the second edition of Cairo Sustainable Energy Week, held under the auspices of the Arab League and the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, to discuss the challenges of the transition to sustainable energy and enhance the use and efficiency of energy in the region.
Fouad pointed to the challenge facing the Arab and Mediterranean region in light of the significant temperature rise, as the region’s temperature is 20% higher than expected, with the population density of the Mediterranean region at 510 million people, which affects the water cycle and food security in the region and is directly reflected in public health.
The Minister of Environment stressed the importance of this dialogue in discussing the effective role of sustainable energy in driving sustainable development and achieving water and food security, and the possibility of accessing new and renewable energy in the Arab region, the Mediterranean and North Africa.
She also pointed out the importance of considering the social dimensions during the rapid transition to new and renewable energy, and the need to create new jobs for those who may be affected by workers in the energy sector by losing their usual jobs as a result of this transition, stressing that Egypt was the first to launch the term “just energy transition” during its hosting of the COP27.
The Minister of Environment also spoke about financing as a challenge facing the region in transitioning to sustainable energy. She explained the importance of exchanging experiences, success stories and lessons learned between countries, noting the importance of multilateral regional cooperation for Arab countries, as it enables them to overcome many challenges and contributes to accelerating the pace of making energy available to all.
