Under the auspices of the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Environment, Planning and Economic Development, and Military Production, and in collaboration with the UN Development Program and the USAID-funded Sustainable Services Activity project, the “Ride To COP27” initiative to raise climate change awareness will be launched today, ahead of the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27), which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh next November.
The initiative’s launch was announced at a press conference held at Raya Smart Building Company’s Edge Innovation Center in Galleria 40 in Sheikh Zayed, a subsidiary of Raya Holding for Financial Investments.
With the aim of encouraging young people to participate in various climate-change-related efforts and raise awareness about this crucial issue as well as promoting COP27 that will be held in Egypt, the “Ride To COP27” initiative is the world’s first of its kind, incorporating the use of electric motorsport to achieve environmental goals.
The tour, which runs for 30 days from Abu Simbel in Upper Egypt and finishes in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, targets to be the world’s longest trip on an electric motorbike and will be entered into the Guinness World Records.
Environmental activist Ali Abdo explained that the initiative’s goal is to document climate change’s effects on Egypt’s governorates and development sectors. “The initiative’s goal is to develop several actionable initiatives to address environmental issues in general and the challenge of climate change in particular,” he added.
Abdo expressed his delight at being a part of this initiative, which also aims to document the impact of climate change on Egyptian society, aiming at urging high-emitting countries to reduce their emissions. Additionally, to empower communities affected by climate change in adapting, as well as to showcase success stories in addressing climate change and to highlight opportunities and challenges in climate action in Egypt.
Furthermore, it aims to promote Egypt’s hosting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) on Climate Change, as well as to raise youth awareness of climate change and environmental pollution and ways to adapt to climate change.
The initiative is sponsored by the Earth’s Climate For Sustainable Development Foundation, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Markaz Company, Modern For Sustainable Transportation, Pirelli Company, the Be an Ambassador initiative launched by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, and several partners.
“The initiative is targeting high school and university students, local and international civil society organizations, social media users, international media outlets, and United Nations organisations,” Abdo stated.
Abdo praised the private sector, civil society, and volunteers for their contributions to climate change awareness campaigns, emphasizing that this relieves the state of the burden and strengthens the partnership, which ultimately leads to the achievement of the interests of all parties.
Abdo urged all parties to support the National Climate Change Strategy 2050, which aims to achieve long-term economic growth while reducing emissions across multiple sectors, as well as improving adaptation capabilities as the country grapples with the effects of climate change to protect the economy and improve climate finance infrastructure. During his trip, Abdo plans to visit several schools and universities in order to raise youth awareness of climate change and encourage them to participate in various climate-related events and initiatives.
He emphasized the importance of civil society and individuals in dealing with climate change and working toward sustainable development, highlighting the significance of integration and coordination with the country’s government and the private sector so that all sectors work in a way that positively reflects on accelerating the pace of development, which is what the Egyptian state is interested in at the moment.
It is worth noting that Ali Abdo is an environmental activist and the first Arab to set a record on an electric motorcycle, and he is a graduate of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development’s “Be an Ambassador,” initiative.
