Dubai: The conference saw environmental experts highlighting issues of concern.
In the session titled Environmental Protection and Climate Change Oppurtunities, moderated by Shaikh Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Al Nuaimi, Environmental Adviser to the Ajman Government, Andrew Scott, Research Fellow, Climate and Environment Programme, Overseas Development Institute (ODI) London, highlighted concerns.
One of these, he said, is the growth in demand for food by 2050, which the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates will increase by 60 per cent. He added that an astonishing one-third of the world’s food is lost or wasted. Food waste can’t be completely eliminated but can sought to be reduced, he said.
Alfredo Zamudio, Director, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Norwegian Refugee Council-Geneva, said that more and more people are vulnerable to hazards across the world. It is four times more likely for one to lose one’s home to disasters than it was in the 1970s. For example, in 2013, 22 million were displaced. “Life is not linear, it’s much more complex than that and the risk for displacement is increasing. We can do little about natural hazards but we can do something about the exposure of the hazard, we can assist those in building their homes and in finding solutions,” said Zamudio. The main drivers of displacement, he pointed out, were:
1. Population growth in hazard-prone areas.
2. Rapid and unplanned urbanisation.
3. Unequal distribution of wealth.
4. Weak governance and state failure.
5. Climate change.
If we work on the drivers, Zamudio said, we can reduce the number of people displaced.
Maria Botros is a trainee at Gulf News
