Engineer Tawfiq Al-Sharjabi, Minister of Water and Environment in Yemen, revealed that the total assessment of damages and losses in the water sector alone in his country, as a result of torrents, floods, the erosion of agricultural lands and other repercussions of climate change, amounted to US$700 million, calling on member states at the COP28 World Climate Action Summit to increase directed support From global climate funds to Yemen in order to ‘adapt’ to the repercussions of climate change and also provide technical support in the field of technology.

In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), on the sidelines of his participation in COP28 in Dubai, Al-Sharjabi confirmed that his country is one of those most affected by climate change, indicating that Yemen has been exposed in recent decades to many devastating tropical cyclones, especially in the coastal areas, and they have worsened. These environmental disasters during the past five years resulted from the exposure of the coasts of Yemen to 5
successive hurricanes, which subsequently affected the infrastructure in the regions of Hadhramaut, Socotra, Al-Mahra, and the coastal region, all the way to Aden.

He pointed out that his country was affected by climate changes, including environmental disasters, droughts in the mountainous region, floods and torrents that led to the erosion of agricultural areas and the displacement of citizens, especially farmers, pointing to the increase in internal displacement of some areas from the countryside to cities that suffer from a lack of resources and services.

The Yemeni Minister of Water and Environment stated that the Yemeni delegation presented the crisis that his country is suffering from to the states parties in the sessions and meetings of international organisations and governments within COP28, adding that his country, despite being exposed to the largest impacts of climate change, did not cause emissions that harm the environment.

Source: Emirates News Agency