Adaptation measures should be integrated into Jordan's policies

MENAFN - Jordan Times: Climate change adaptation measures should be integrated into national policies, while the Kingdom's infrastructure should be designed to reduce the impact of the phenomenon on natural resources, experts said on Sunday. Jordan must take its climate change adaptation measures to the national level, particularly since the country faces critical environmental challenges and is already a victim of climate change, they noted.

Environment and meteorological experts from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region made the recommendations during a training workshop on climate change adaptation and mitigation. "At the national level, all infrastructure must be built with climate change in mind… and we must support activities enhancing the agriculture, water, sanitation and renewable energy sectors," General Manger of Ben Hayyan Laboratories Aiman Oklat said at the opening session.

He underscored that the impact of climate change on water availability in Jordan is expected to create health challenges, noting that addressing water scarcity in Jordan is a government priority. "International studies have reported that regions with already scarce water resources, including MENA, will suffer more from water scarcity. Increasing temperatures, coupled with changing precipitation patterns are expected to decrease surface water resources," Oklat said during the event.

…The Middle East, one of the driest regions in the world, will witness shifting rainfall patterns due to climate change which will result in less freshwater for the region's growing population, according to recent reports….

Canyon of Wadi Mujib, shot by YousefTOmar, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license