King’s commitment for climate highlights Jordan’s role in global environment efforts

AMMAN — Environment Minister Muawieh Radaideh said on Wednesday that His Majesty King Abdullah’s commitment to combating climate change continues with persistent follow-up, as evidenced by his active presence at climate change events and conferences. 

Radaideh added that such efforts leave a clear mark that Jordan is a key partner with the international community in establishing the foundations and efforts to address climate change.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on the sidelines of the Regional Ocean Summit, which commenced in the Dead Sea on Wednesday, Radaideh highlighted that the summit’s first-time occurrence in Jordan, organised by The Economist Group, signifies the world’s respect for the Kingdom and its recognition as a safe haven amid the volatile and unstable regional conditions.

The minister referred to Jordan’s vulnerability to climate change due to the unnatural increase in population resulting from successive waves of refugees. 

The minister also highlighted King Abdullah’s launch of the Climate/Refugee Nexus Initiative at the 27th Conference of the Parties, where His Majesty stressed the need to prioritise climate-related support and investment for refugee-hosting countries.

He explained that Jordan is advancing with its economic modernisation vision in parallel with green economic recovery that focuses on improving the economic situation while minimising environmental risks and ecological scarcity. 

The minister stressed the importance of promoting the blue economy by focusing on marine environment care, monitoring related jobs, and optimising the use of water resources.

He added that His Majesty’s declaration of Aqaba as a marine reserve and the launch of the Marine Research station play a significant role in supporting scientific research to protect oceans and grant the Gulf of Aqaba strong resilience against climate change.