(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) Undoubtedly, Asia is on its way to becoming the
fastest-developing continent in the world. Projected new trade
routes, efforts to develop a sustainable system, and the
significance of green transformation in the face of rising energy,
food, and security demands. All of these are issues that deeply
concern Member States of the conference on Interaction and
Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), from North Asia to the
Indian Ocean and from East Asia to the Aegean Sea. However, how
realistic are the ambitious carbon-neutral plans countries aim for
in line with their green transformation goals? At this point, with
its five dimensions, CICA offers confidence building measures,
dialogue, connectivity, synergy, and best practices for its Member
States to achieve their goals.
At the Sixth CICA Summit, among the common issues highlighted by
the distinguished Heads of State or Government and high-level
representatives were combating climate change and the significance
of CICA's environmental dimension for future cooperation. Why is
the environmental dimension so significant for the future of the
CICA region?
The CICA environmental dimension has three priority areas:
sustainable development, environment protection, and natural
disaster management. Each priority area has its coordinator and
co-coordinator. For instance, Thailand is the coordinator for
sustainable development, Mongolia is the coordinator for
environment protection, where Bangladesh and China are
co-coordinators, Iran is the coordinator for natural disaster
management, and Bangladesh is co-coordinator.
According to the updated CICA Catalogue of Confidence Building
Measures (CBMs), the Member States have specified the priorities
for cooperation in environmental areas for the implementation of
the CICA CBMs, such as sharing information on best practices
concerning national policies on environmental protection and
sustainable development, exchanging information on natural and
industrial disasters in the countries, which, in their view, may
affect their neighbors. In addition, seminars, workshops,
conferences, and trainings are held within the priority areas of
the CICA environmental dimension. In general, the topics
coordinating and co-coordinating countries cover are green
transformation, sustainable development, low-carbon developments,
waste management, carbon markets, natural disasters, and circular
economy.
Recent history has shown that Asia is exposed to various
climatic events and natural disasters. CICA Member States were
affected by sweltering weather conditions, drought, floods in 2022,
as well as earthquakes in early 2023. For example, Pakistan has had
a challenging year because of floods. According to the World Bank,
at least 7 million people were displaced and over 1,700 people died
as a result of this disaster. The cost of floods in Pakistan is
around 30 billion dollars.
Moreover, the World Health Organization reports that over 7.1
million Bangladeshis were displaced by climate change in 2022.
China, India, Thailand, and the Middle East also had difficulties
due to climate change last year. Recently, the world has
experienced a devastating sequence of earthquakes in Türkiye. After
the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic damage
of the climate crisis and natural disasters has been taken into
account, and the question of how fragile countries are for the
future has come to the fore.
CICA covers a broad geography, therefore observing various
environmental characteristics. Member States are taking multiple
actions to ensure sustainable development and environmental
protection. The major environmental problems in Asia include
desertification, climate change, lack of water resources,
deforestation, earthquakes, and forest fires. Indeed, there are
environmentally vulnerable CICA countries. Among the most
vulnerable Member States, according to the University of Notre
Dame's Vulnerability index score of the Notre Dame Global
Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN), are Afghanistan in the 168th and
Bangladesh in the 154th place. Pakistan ranks 147th, while Cambodia
is in the 133rd place, and India ranks 132nd. The index evaluates a
nation's vulnerability, sensitivity, and capacity for climate
change adaptation. There are 177 nations on the scale, and those
with high rankings, close to zero, have great climate change
resilience. Highest-ranking CICA Member States include Israel in
the 14th place, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Türkiye sharing the 28th
place followed by Kazakhstan in the 33rd place, the UAE in the
40th, and Qatar in the 44th.
The negative economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has
brought countries closer to producing new solutions. Although
developed and developing countries have different agendas,
governments are shifting their economic targets to efficient
systems aligned with sustainable development goals. Green
transformation is one of the most prominent examples of this.
Countries that aim to decarbonize their economies are investing
more in green technology, fields such as carbon capture, mitigation
and adaptation, circular economy, and water management. Along with
diversifying energy sources, it is one of the essential steps in
energy security.
United Nations Climate Change Conferences are significant to
raise awareness and act together against extreme environmental
events the world has been facing in recent years. For example,
Egypt, a CICA Member State, hosted COP27 in 2022. Among the results
drawn here were that nations decided for the first time to set up
funds to pay developing countries for“loss and damage” caused by
climate-related disasters. Moreover, it was important that China
and the USA, the countries with the highest carbon emissions,
decided to engage in climate diplomacy at COP27. Furthermore, COP28
will take place in the United Arab Emirates, another CICA Member
State. From this point of view, it is a fact that the environmental
theme becomes increasingly relevant in Asia.
The initiative of Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
to hold a High-level Conference in 2024 in Astana to identify
environmental challenges among the CICA members was one of the
major outcomes of the Sixth CICA Summit. Thanks to this meeting,
the CICA region and the entire world will benefit from the
potential establishment of the CICA Council for Environmental
Cooperation.
Indeed, it will be in the interest of the CICA Member States to
hold the 2024 High-level Environmental Conference, where best
practices can be shared among the CICA countries and a sustainable
mutual dialogue is likely to be ensured. As a result, the CICA
environmental dimension is expected to progress rapidly among other
CBMs.
The 2024 High-level Environmental Conference is at the forefront
of priority initiatives for the CICA Kazakh Chairmanship.
Kazakhstan's goal of being carbon neutral by 2060 sets an example
for other countries in the region. As part of the preparations for
the Conference, in early 2023, CICA Secretary General Ambassador
Kairat Sarybay met with Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources
of Kazakhstan Zulfiya Suleimenova.
The Secretary General stated that the CICA Member States were
extensively introducing green technologies, pursuing the ambitious
goal of achieving carbon neutrality. In addition, within the scope
of the preparations for the Conference on environment, which is of
utmost importance for the CICA Member States, the sides agreed to
arrange a series of expert meetings of the CICA Member States to
develop goals and objectives for the Conference.
There is no doubt that CICA is an evolving international
organization, and the CICA environmental dimension is developing
its capabilities. With the dialogue and support of CICA Member
States, the interest in environmental topics is increasing
gradually in line with the region's sustainable development
goals.
Dr. Ugur Turan, expert on the environmental dimension of the
CICA Secretariat. Expert had experience working in China and
Türkiye as a researcher on international organizations'
projects.