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AMMAN — Representing HRH Prince El Hassan Bin Talal, Chairman of the University of Jordan’s Board of Trustees Adnan Badran on Monday inaugurated the International Conference on Climate Change and Health in the Arab Region: Advancing Regional Interdisciplinary Collaborations (CCHAR) in Amman.
The four-day event brings together regional and international experts to address the intersection of climate change and public health, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
In his opening remarks, Badran described climate change as an “unprecedented existential challenge” requiring urgent, collective international action.
Badran warned that years of ignoring scientific warnings have led to devastating consequences, including floods and severe water scarcity across many countries. He stressed that environmental pollution transcends borders, endangering air and water quality and threatening global public health.
He called for imposing fair taxes on high-polluting countries and corporations, while advocating for increased support to developing nations to build their environmental resilience.
“If the current path continues,” he cautioned, “coastal areas risk submersion, putting over half of the world’s population, who live in coastal regions, at risk.”
Badran also warned of the potential loss of up to 50 per cent of the planet’s biodiversity, including critical genetic resources developed over millions of years.
Such a loss, he said, poses a direct threat to global food security, agriculture, and health systems. He noted that the Middle East is particularly vulnerable, with projections indicating a significant temperature rise and a potential 20 per cent drop in rainfall.
Chair of the conference’s scientific committee Fayez Abdulla said the conference focuses on five core themes: energy, water, food, environment, and health.
Organized by the Hashemite University, the University of Jordan, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Climate Action Network and the Royal Scientific Society, the event features contributions from Arab and international experts in health, climate science, and food security.
