Environment Ministry to establish climate change department

AMMAN — Plans are under way to set up a climate change department at the Ministry of Environment to improve the country’s efforts in combating the phenomenon and raise public awareness, according to a senior government official.

The creation of the new department will be part of a restructuring plan for the Ministry of Environment, the minister, Taher Shakhshir, said on Sunday.

“The new department will be independent and specialised in combating climate change on a country level, alleviating its impact and raising people’s awareness on the phenomenon,” Shakhshir said.

A committee was formed in 2001 to follow up on climate change issues and programmes. The committee includes members of several related ministries, organisations and institutions.

Shakhshir highlighted that setting up a new climate change department reflects the country’s increasing concern with the phenomenon, its impact and alleviation measures, highlighting that several campaigns will be launched soon to raise public awareness.

“It is vital to enhance people’s knowledge of climate change because it is a man-made phenomenon,” Shakhshir noted.

An opinion survey on public knowledge and perception of climate change in the Kingdom, launched late last week, indicated that the majority of Jordanians believe that the climate has “really changed” over the past years and that the change is “negative and annoying”.

The survey indicated that 78 per cent of Jordanians believe that the climate has changed during the past few years, while around 67.1 per cent said this change was negative.

A total of 38 per cent of the surveyed population stated that they have a “very good” knowledge of climate change issues and 72.9 per cent said climate change is a man-made phenomenon caused by industries, transportation and energy activities.

Climate change scenarios indicate that Jordan and the Middle East could suffer from reduced agricultural productivity and water availability, among other negative impacts, according to the 2013-20 Jordan Climate Change Policy.

The report said Jordan faces serious potential impacts on its natural ecosystems, river basins, watersheds and biodiversity, then cascading to impacts on food productivity, water resources, human health, public infrastructure and human settlements.

The report indicated that climate change projections suggest a 1-4°C increase in temperatures and a 15-60 per cent decrease in precipitation.