The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is at the moment working to scale back the rising air pollution charges and confront local weather change.
On this context, the authority not too long ago introduced its plan to declare the canal as a “inexperienced canal” subsequent yr. In a TV interview Dec. 14, SCA head Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie mentioned, “The SCA launched an initiative of 16 renewable vitality monitoring posts as a part of its digital transition plan, and the Suez Canal might be declared as a green canal in 2023.”
Throughout a Dec. 13 assembly, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi mentioned with Rabie the SCA’s efforts to imagine its worldwide environmental accountability, along with its determination to offer incentives to transiting ships’ operators that observe environmentally pleasant requirements that contribute to decreasing carbon emissions.
This determination goals to encourage ships to make use of liquefied pure fuel and varied varieties of low carbon gas, in order that the Suez Canal shifts right into a inexperienced canal that encourages and helps the preservation of the setting, an announcement by the Egyptian presidency mentioned following the assembly.
Sisi and Rabie additionally mentioned methods to develop the vitality system of the Suez Canal, the place wind and photo voltaic renewable vitality might be used to gentle up monitoring stations alongside the canal to scale back air pollution.
On Dec. 21, 2021, Rabie mentioned in a press interview, “The Suez Canal is supported by three of essentially the most trendy vessels that counter the consequences of environmental air pollution within the canal via trendy tools that disperses oil spills within the transport lane, after which suck them via skimmers operated from vessels to guard the water from air pollution brought on by ships.”
He continued, “A variety of eco-friendly measures have been taken on the Suez Canal, and there are strict laws on this regard, with the SCA stopping any container vessel or ship leaking oil or petroleum from coming into the canal’s navigational line. We additionally take periodic samples to measure and monitor pollution within the water. As it’s categorized because the shortest transport route, the ships would devour much less gas and subsequently emit much less poisonous fuel.”
On Jan. 3, the SCA introduced using renewable energy to function the 16 monitoring stations alongside the canal in an effort to scale back fuel emissions as a part of its inexperienced initiative.
In April 2019, the SCA introduced the constructing of Egypt’s first green port in East Port Mentioned. The announcement got here after the SCA signed a contract with SESCO Trans Egypt to design, construct, handle and function a multipurpose terminal at East Port Mentioned port, with a know-how that adheres to environmental necessities for a interval of 30 years.
East Port Mentioned Director Ali Assem instructed the press again then, “The contract consists of the development of the East Port Mentioned port berth in an built-in eco-friendly method, and the port might be surrounded by huge inexperienced areas to reduce the negative impact on the setting.”
In July 2019, Sisi mentioned with Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly mechanisms to show the Egyptian ports into inexperienced ports, by establishing a joint ministerial technical working group tasked with creating innovative solutions to environmental issues.
Egypt has lately elevated its inexperienced initiatives. On Jan. 10, the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Financial Improvement introduced a rise within the share of green projects to 30% of the state funding plan, and a 50% share in 2024-25.
Egypt has additionally adopted a plan to extend reliance on renewable vitality sources and to create extra inexperienced areas in an effort to protect the setting and cope with climate change ensuing from air pollution and fossil fuels. In Might 2019, the federal government introduced the formation of the National Council for Climate Change tasked with creating the state’s basic insurance policies in countering local weather change.
In December 2020, the council’s excessive committee held its first meeting, headed by Madbouly, who known as on the council to arrange a basic technique to confront local weather change and to current its framework to the committee in its subsequent assembly.
On Aug. 1, 2021, the committee held its second meeting throughout which Minister of Setting Yasmine Fouad introduced the nationwide technique for local weather change and its goals.
She mentioned, “The plan ensures the achievement of low emissions in varied sectors, rising [the share of] renewable and various vitality sources within the vitality combine, and preserving pure assets and inexperienced areas.”
In November, Egypt will host the twenty seventh session of the Convention of the Events (COP 27) to the UNFCCC in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The environmental adviser on the Federation of Egyptian Industries, Mohamed al-Zarqa, instructed Al-Monitor, “The Suez Canal’s plan to depend on renewable vitality, particularly photo voltaic vitality, and encourage ships to preserve the setting is a mandatory step in gentle of the excessive air pollution charges.”
He mentioned, “It’s mandatory to scale back air pollution in an effort to defend the Suez Canal from the environmental results of transport. The SCA has been eager to encourage these ships to protect the setting.”
He famous, “The local weather in Egypt has been considerably affected by the excessive air pollution charges and the excessive dependence on fossil fuels. Subsequently, the federal government is working to observe the transition plan to renewable vitality, within the Suez Canal and all ports and initiatives.”
Egypt is more and more counting on renewable vitality in producing electrical energy. The Ministry of Electrical energy mentioned in a statement on Nov. 23, 2021, “Egypt has developed a strategic plan that units a renewable vitality goal of greater than 42% by 2035 of the vitality combine.”
