GAM keen on climate change action — mayor

AMMAN — Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh on Wednesday said the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has taken steps to reduce the effects of climate change, highlighting the Amman Plan launched in last June.

In a GAM statement sent to The Jordan Times on Wednesday, Shawarbeh said that climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges as its effects have become “tangible” in recent years.

The mayor highlighted the importance of raising awareness about climate change and risks, especially on the weather. 

During a meeting with members of the climate change committee, the statement cited Shawarbeh as saying that the efforts to combat climate change can reduce the phenomenon’s negative effects, but cannot completely stop them.

He called for integrating the climate change combat plan on the field through boosting communication with local partners: Meteorological Department, crises management, the Civil Defence Department and international organisations.

The mayor proposed identifying the tasks of each sector and the GAM department in order to be part of the plan.

The plan to combat climate change, which the GAM launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and through the support of the World Bank last June, includes various aspects that call for preserving the environment through sustainable practices and policies that improve people’s lives and keeps the city for future generations. 

Moreover, the plan complements the Amman Resilience Plan, launched in 2017 with the aim of boosting the capital’s capabilities to face crises and problems, according to the statement.