By Mohamed Attia
Minister of Civil Aviation Lieutenant General Pilot Mohamed Abbas and Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Yasmine Fouad, signed a co-operation protocol on Wednesday between the two ministries to support environmental work.
The protocol included providing all necessary facilities to develop co-operation ties between the two ministries in the field of environmental protection. The step is meant to achieve sustainable development goals to serve various community issues and eco-projects nationwide, especially those related to increasing environmental and health awareness.
This comes within the framework of the state’s plan to tackle the problems of pollution of all kinds and limit the effects of climate change.
The minister of environment is hoping to see more biofuels used in aviation.
The two sides also agreed to exchange expertise inenvironmental affairs, with emphasis on holding training and educational workshops between the two ministries, and implementing awareness campaigns in the areas of air quality, protection from noise, as well as environmental emergency plans.
They also agreed on developing early warning mechanisms for environmental crises and disasters using meteorological results data to devise mechanisms for mitigating the impacts of carbon emissions resulting from civil aviation activities, as well as to adapt to the risks of climate change through procedures and action plans directed to achieve this end.
The two ministers agreed to electronically link all environmental monitoring stations, in addition to offering technical support with regard to conducting eco-measurements between the two parties.
They also agreed on forming a joint committee between the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to implement terms of the protocol.
Following the signing ceremony, Minister Abbas expressed his appreciation for Minister Fouad’s efforts to support environmental work.
Abbas said that his ministry is making great strides to support this file, as the Ministry of Civil Aviation has a department to calculate the effects of aviation on the environment, whether by reducing emissions or using biofuels, which Egypt will expand in its use during the coming period.
For her part, the minister of environment thanked Minister Abbas for the efforts exerted during the COP27 climate conference. She referred to the importance of joint work between the two ministries to support environmental work within the framework of the signed co-operation protocol.
Fouad said that the historywill testify that Egypt organised COP27 with great success, pointing out that there are countries get help of foreign expertise when organising and hosting such international events.
Discussions covered biodiesel with a view to opening up new horizons for environment investment and green job opportunities.
Minister Fouad referred to an envisaged project to establish a solar power station at some airports with the aim of moving towards biofuels. The project isone of a series to be submittedto the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for finance. These projects are concerned with issues of biodiversity, desertification and climate change.
Minister Fouad also referred to the project of the interactive climate projections map in co-operation with the Egyptian Military Survey Department and the Meteorological Authority to determine the negative effects of climate changes on various regions across the country in the future.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has developed an integrated strategy to deal with environmental issues in line with the national strategy for climate change in a bid to mitigate its negative repercussions on human life, Minister Abbas said. This strategy, he added, is aimed at transforming Egyptian airports into ‘environmentally friendly’onesthrough using renewable energy, rationalising the use of electricity, and relying on solar power.
TheEgyptAir Holding Company, under the leadership of Engineer YehiaZakaria, has drawn up a comprehensive plan in the field of sustainable development to reduce carbon emissions and cut environmental pollution, through modernising the air fleet,curtailing weight on the plane and limiting the consumption of single-use plastic on board EgyptAir flights.
The company has operated many flights with eco-friendly services in addition to recycling waste to achieve sustainable development goals, widely known as Egypt Vision 2030, the minister said.
EgyptAir organized,during the past few months, the first commercial flight powered by biofuels, which is a starting point that we hope to develop in the future, Minister Abbas added.
EgyptAiroperated its first commercial flight powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport to Sharmel-Sheikh International Airport, with 132 travellers on board, ahead of the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), which was held in the Red Sea city on 6-18 November.
The step, made in co-operation with Neste, the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel and SAF, is part of the Egyptian government’s strategy for achieving sustainable development, cutting carbon emissions and reducing environmental pollution.
Sustainable aviation fuel has been widely acknowledged as a key element in helping to achieve aviation’s emissions reduction goals globally. One of the challenges facing the aviation industry is making SAF available in large enough volumes.
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