Page 33 - issue 66 en
P. 33
ELITE
ELITE
As the world’s attention shifts to the air that feels heavier by the year,
29th UN Climate Change Conference streets filled with plastic, and a
(COP29) in Baku, it’s hard not to cast government that’s too quick to
our minds back to COP27, hosted by sacrifice environmental protection for
Egypt in 2022, where it had proudly quick economic gains.
showcased its commitment to tackling
climate change with ambitious Cairo, a city already infamous for its
strategies like the "National Climate pollution, continues to rank among the
Change Strategy 2050." This was world’s most polluted cities. The Swiss
supposed to be the turning point ; the air quality monitor IQAir named Egypt
moment when Egypt would stand tall the ninth most polluted country
against the rising tides of globally in 2023, blaming
environmental destruction. Fast transportation, industry, and the open
forward to 2024, and it seems Egypt burning of waste. Fine particulate
has taken a detour back into a thick, matter—those tiny, lethal particles less
choking fog. than 2.5 microns wide—hangs thick in
the air, causing respiratory diseases,
Empty Pledges, Polluted Skies cardiovascular problems, and more.
The situation is deteriorating: in 2023,
On paper, Egypt’s climate strategy Egypt's average PM2.5 concentration
looks impressive—binding promises to was 8.5 times higher than the World
reduce emissions, build sustainable Health Organization's annual air quality
infrastructure, and adapt to climate guidelines, rendering Egypt’s air quality
changes. But if you look past the shiny unhealthy for sensitive groups.
brochures and grand speeches, there’s
a different picture: 33
