Ammon News - Jordan is one of the first countries in the region to realize, from an early stage, the importance of climate change and the necessity of planning at the national and sectoral levels to confront the negative effects of climate change.
Jordan sought to develop a national plan to adapt to climate change and improve infrastructure to confront potential negative effects.
Jordan is keen to have a strong presence in the regional and international scenes in efforts to combat climate change, as an example of this is the file of development projects and environmental investments, which was present during the meetings and discussions of King Abdullah II of Jordan during his recent visit to the United States, in addition to his meetings with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and the announcement of a new agreement between Jordan and the World Bank coupled with improving the investment in climate and stimulating the growth of the economy responsive to climate change.
According to the Jordanian Ministry of Environment, Jordan submitted the first national communications report and signed the United Nations Framework Convention in 1998. Jordan is considered the first developing country to play this role. It also carried out an assessment study entitled “Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change.” The project to build an experimental biogas facility to generate electricity and reduce methane emissions was implemented in 2000, and in 2001, the National Climate Change Committee was established to follow up on climate change issues in Jordan, and in 2003, Jordan began work efforts in the field of clean development mechanism.
The Ministry of Environment is the concerned body to follow up on the Clean Development Mechanism in Jordan. It also has a key role in identifying and approving the projects of the Clean Development Mechanism. Also, Jordan has started a project for self-assessment of national capacities for global environmental management, for market readiness, which aims to support and assist countries in identifying appropriate market instruments to scale up mitigation efforts in line with climate change mitigation and development goals.
Jordan has also ratified a number of international agreements including the Framework Convention on Climate Change. This agreement is an umbrella for global climate action and aims to strengthen the global response to the threat posed by climate change in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication efforts.
In exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the Secretary-General of the Jordanian Ministry of Environment Dr. Mohammed Al Khashashneh, confirmed that the Jordanian government has committed to developing the exploitation of renewable energy in the National Energy Sector Strategy (2007-2020) and the updated strategy (2015-2025) by reaching 15 percent of electricity generated from renewable energy sources by the end of 2025.
He explained that this plan aims to expand the use of renewable energy with a contribution rate of 35 percent before the end of 2023, which is equivalent to 2.2 gigawatts and may reach 3.2 gigawatts.
Al Khashashneh added that this, in turn, will be reflected in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which will help achieve the targeted indicators of Jordan’s commitments towards climate change and international agreements in this regard.
He added that this plan targets a set of axes, including direct proposals for large and central projects, which are implemented according to the direct bid system, renewable energy systems in transit and small ones supported by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund, in addition to projects funded by donors and private sector projects in various economic sectors. The plan also includes the main indicators to follow up the implementation on the ground and follow up the development of policies aimed at encouraging investment in renewable energy projects, as well as the need to develop electrical networks for transmission and distribution, and to spread awareness and knowledge of the importance and how to benefit from renewable energy projects.
Al Khashashneh confirmed that the renewable sector witnessed a major boom after 2015 through the implementation of major wind and solar projects, and in 2018, the share of installed capacities of renewable energy increased to about 18 percent, with more than 1,100 megawatts, including 826 megawatts of Solar energy , 284 megawatts of wind energy, 12 megawatts of hydro and 3.5 megawatts of biogas.
He explained that Jordan is committed to cooperating with other countries, at the regional and international levels, to achieve the nationally determined contributions, and to take strong climate measures that raise the level of ambition in order to maintain the average global temperature within 1.5 degrees Celsius, in addition to its commitment, at a high political level, to support the implementation of projects such as energy , agriculture, water, tourism, transportation, and waste management, but they need the support of donors and international agencies.
In this regard, Al Khashashneh stated that his country had signed a document in which it committed itself to reducing gas emissions by 16 percent, which was updated two weeks ago to double the commitment to the reduction.
Al Khashashneh indicated that it is possible to remove carbon from the energy mix, in parallel with providing a reliable supply of electricity in 2018, explaining that the supply of electricity that was generated from solar photovoltaic and wind energy contributed to avoiding the release of about 1.5 million tons of carbon emissions.
He indicated that there are plans and strategies that have been developed aimed at reducing the use of traditional means of transportation to reduce gas emissions and switching to electric transportation, noting that 15 percent of cars in Jordan are hybrid and electric, and Jordan aims to reach 50 percent within the next 10 years.
To conclude his statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Khashashneh indicated that climate action in Jordan has become a priority in various sectors, but Jordan still lack the international financial aid stipulated in Paris Agreement.
*QNA
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