Page 32 - Issue 48

ELITE
Vol.1, Issue 48, October 2022

caused by climate change at the political level, and the political competition is taking place, as we saw in the
third is the impact of climate change on the map of recent US presidential elections between Donald
international relations. Trump and Joe Biden, who adopted two very different
Dr. Nilly spoke firstly on the conceptual level, by positions on climate issues.
referring to the first time that environmental problems On the political institutions level, many ministries
were linked to competition for resources and political concerned with environmental affairs and climate
conflicts, a linkage attributed to scientist Thomas Malthus change have been established. On the internal and
in 1798. Who while linked the 2 phenomena, did not refer external agendas level, all of the United Nations
“climate change” with that term, that did not appear until member nations have adopted the UN goals 2030, and
many decades later. Moreover, she highlighted that the from there each country has started to launch its own
emergence of climate change has been linked to the national strategies for sustainable development, such as
coining of many new concepts such as: environmental Egypt’s Vision 2030. However, we often see that there
security, environmental justice, environmental asylum, is a lag in adopting environmentally friendly policies
sustainable development and other environmental because the free economy is always seeking quick
concepts. profit, even at the cost of environmental degradation.
She also stressed that using accurate terms or concepts She then moved on to the third axis, explaining that
helps us see the problems more clearly, and therefore we there is an ancient and eternal link between climate
must question the linguistic validity of the term climate change and human security. For there have been many
change, which ought to be replaced by the term nations to had to move from one place to another or
environmental degradation. were wiped out due to climate change that swept away
their whole countries.
Furthermore, she pointed out the exacerbation of the
problem of environmental asylum, which we can now
see in India and Bangladesh, and for which the
international law has been altered to confront the
effects of climate change. She also showed that women
and children are the two groups most vulnerable to
climate change.
Confirming the results presented at the Security
Council meeting in February 2021, which was referred
to by Dr. Beelal, Dr. Nilly presented many statistics
that prove that Africa is the continent that contains the
greatest number of armed conflicts and that it is also
As the word "change" may have a positive or negative the continent that contains the countries most
connotation while the word "degradation" leaves no doubt vulnerable to climate change, which proves the close
that the intended meaning is the negative one. relationship between political conflicts and climate
She then moved on to talk about the dangers facing island change.
states that result from climate change and the increasing Dr. Nilly opted to end her presentation on a positive
risk of more people seeking environmental asylum that note, where she pointed out that environmental change
may occur because of those changes. She stressed the has had some positive effects on human security that
significance of the concept of environmental citizenship can be furtherly exploited, such as the expansion in the
and the importance of individuals in facing environmental investment in clean energy, especially in Egypt, which
and climate issues. lies at the heart of the global sun belt, and thus is
As for the changes that occurred on the level of considered one of the richest countries in the world
universities and research institutions, she presented some with solar energy.
statistics that prove that the largest universities in the In conclusion of the talk, the guests answered audience
world are those who are the best in environmental questions on a variety of topics such as: the possibility
sciences. Moreover, climate change has also led to the of building more dams on the Nile River to solve the
creation of new college majors as well as more than 20 problem of water poverty, the mechanism of action of
research institutions. the Early Climate Warning Unit, COP 27 and the Food
She moved to talk about the second axis, explaining that at and Agriculture Initiative for Sustainable
the political level, climate change and the environmental Transformation (FAST) that will be launched by the
dimension have become some of the biggest axes in which
President at COP 27.

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