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The heated confrontation over the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam would suggest that it is the only source of danger to Egypt’s water security. There is no doubt that Egypt has historical rights to the Nile, upon which its civilization and existence have been built, and that there are legal and moral obligations governing the use of cross-border shared water resources. Therefore, Ethiopia cannot take unilateral actions affecting other beneficiaries. But the dispute over the dam should not overlook other water challenges facing Egypt, especially the huge population explosion, the alarming pollution of the Nile, and the decrease in the amount of water available as a result of climate change. The threefold increase in the population over 50 years, reaching 100 million today, has led to the multiplication of the demand several times over, for an already dwindling water supply. Did Egypt do enough to meet these challenges?
Coronavirus Is Not an Excuse for Failure aawsat.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aawsat.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The predicaments that have beleaguered some of the major global oil companies – in courts and within their own boardrooms – have proven beyond doubt that they will no longer be able to ignore the facts of science, rule of law and the pressure of public opinion.
The recent developments also showed that Saudi Arabia, the largest oil exporter in the world, was right in initiating its proactive policies, not only in terms of committing to the provisions of the Paris Climate Agreement and the reduction of carbon emissions from its oil industries, but also by advancing doable alternatives. This was evident in the Circular Carbon Economy, Green Saudi Arabia and Green Middle East initiatives.
Middle-East Arab News and Opinion - Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities
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The climate summit recently hosted by President Joe Biden created a ripple in stagnant waters. Early indications show that it is not going to be a casual occurrence, because it resulted in specific commitments linked to deadlines which exceeded expectations. The United States itself led the way with bold measures, as evident in President Biden’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions in half by 2030, which is double the previous US commitment under president Obama. Biden reiterated the pledge to reach zero carbon in 2050.
It was also noteworthy that while attempts to hold a US political summit with China and Russia had not materialized since Biden became president, both the Chinese and Russian presidents participated in the US climate summit, marking it as their first meeting with the new US president. Also noteworthy is that when the Trump administration withdrew from the Paris climate agreement, no country followed suit, whereas Biden succeeded in attracting ins