'Climate Change can only be tackled if we act collectively' -Anastasiades

Climate Change is affecting every country and can only be tackled if we collectively act, pledged President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades.

In his opening statement at the Ministerial meeting for climate change, President Anastasiades said, for this reason, the Government has decided to allocate 41% of our National Resilience and Recovery Plan, for measures introducing cleaner fuels and contributing to Cyprus’ green transition.

Addressing the “Ministerial Meeting for the Climate Change in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East Initiative”, organized and hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, he said the participation of so many renowned scientists and eminent policymakers from our immediate region, is a testament, not only of the magnitude of the threat posed by the climate crisis, “but also of our readiness to coordinate synergies and share best practices”.

He described the region, as a “hot-spot”, with countries being vulnerable to the climate crisis, already witnessing its catastrophic effects on agriculture, public health, tourism, ecosystem development, and water supplies, disrupting in this way our economies and everyday lives.

President Anastasiades said that bearing in mind the necessity to act on the current climate emergency in a collective manner, as well as the fact that scientific predictions denote that the overall situation is expected to worsen in the years ahead, his government took the initiative to coordinate a regional response to this challenge.

According to the Initiative, the Ministry of Agriculture and the President’s personal envoy for climate change, Professor Kostas Papanicolas, coordinated the work of 13 Regional Task Forces, with the participation of more than 240 scientists from the wider region, “for the preparation and submission of specific proposals and solutions. Solutions that are scientifically sound, technologically mature and cost-effective”.

President Anastasiades said the scientists’ assessments and policy recommendations provide the solid foundation for the Initiative’s 2nd phase, starting with the development of a comprehensive Regional Action Plan, the effective implementation of which will eventually enable our countries to advance actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adjust to the devastating impact of Climate Change and initiate appropriate mechanisms for more competitive and resilient economies through the transition to renewable and cleaner energy. They will also enhance access to financial mechanisms and instruments associated with Climate Change and bring forth incentives to businesses and industries with the aim to adapt and switch to green and sustainable technologies.

The President said he hopes the EU, as well as other regional and international organizations, will support the Initiative.

He went on to say that Cyprus remains fully committed to advancing multiple policies to fulfill the Paris Agreement’s goals and to implement our commitments at the EU level and help achieve its ambitious targets.

To this end, he added, the Government “has decided to allocate 41% of our National Resilience and Recovery Plan, which translates to more than 500 million euro for the period up until 2026, for measures introducing cleaner fuels and contributing to Cyprus’ green transition”.

In his statement, President Anastasiades said “climate change is affecting every country, every region, every continent and can only be tackled if we collectively act, plan ahead for the next generations and create together the future we all aspire to live in”.

Concluding, he said he looks forward to welcoming delegates to Cyprus next June for the 2nd Ministerial Meeting, during which he hopes they will finalize the framework of the Regional Action Plan and agree on the mechanisms of its implementation.