Are Arab youth fulfilling their duty towards planet Earth... and will they contribute to limiting global warming and climate change?

Weather of Arabia - 197 countries around the world will meet in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, to attend the 27th Climate Conference, starting from November 6, in order to discuss ways to reduce carbon emissions and find appropriate solutions for that.

In recent times, the phenomenon of global warming and climate change has become the talk of the world, as continuous climate change threatens the occurrence of more disasters, from severe heat waves and droughts to floods, devastating hurricanes and the outbreak of forest fires, and thus more natural and human losses, unless global efforts unite with all its institutions and organizations. and its members to work to reduce global warming and environmental destruction.

The United Nations has not stopped warning the world since last year about the approaching climate catastrophe unless the necessary measures are taken to reduce carbon emissions, and the United Nations has issued guidance and advice several times for individuals to contribute to reducing climate change.

Amidst the world's preoccupation with finding solutions to climate change and its consequences, the BBC Arabic website published a report that raises important questions about the role of young people in the Arab world and the extent of their contribution to reducing carbon emissions based on their duty towards the planet, and if there are obstacles that prevent them from doing their duty?

Are the habits and behaviors of Arab youth in line with their duty towards planet Earth?!

BBC Arabic spoke to environmental experts and a number of citizens in different Arab countries about their daily habits and behavior that they have adopted or changed in line with United Nations advice and guidelines.

Arab youth may not have the 'luxury to choose between good or bad'

Somaya Kamal, who studied chemistry and is now the mother of two young men at the university, and lives in the city of Aleppo in Syria, says: “We talk at home about climate change and the importance of changing some habits that contribute to reducing global warming, but we do not have the luxury of choosing between good or bad in A country that has become our biggest concern is how to survive and secure our livelihood.”

"Most of our actions are disorderly and unplanned, not because we are messy, but because we are forced," she explains.

“People are suffering loss and damage from severe storms, devastating floods and melting glaciers, and people in developing countries are not getting timely support to rebuild and recover before the next catastrophe,” says Harjit Singh, head of global policy strategy at the international nonprofit Climate Action Network. .

"It is the communities that contributed the least to the crisis that are now on the front line of the worst effects," he adds.

Somaya explains that she and her small family, like many others in the country, do not consume a lot of meat not for the sake of the environment, but because of the high prices and the impossibility of eating it more than twice a month, and they do not waste a lot of electric energy, not in order to reduce global warming, but because they do not They enjoy the light of electricity for hours a day, and do not take buses to work but on foot because they do not have enough money to enjoy easy transportation in the city, and as a country where 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, there is no need to say a ten-minute shower instead of an hour Basically, because we can't prolong because of the cold, the lack of fuel for heating, and so on."

She says with a sarcastic laugh: "We are the most environmentally friendly people, and we contribute to reducing global warming, and we pay the most for the mistakes of others."

A number of citizens from Lebanon and Iraq also shared their views with the BBC, which are not very different from Somaya's opinion, due to the similar conditions in these countries.

Are young people aware of the risks of climate change?

Dr Domit Kamel, head of the Global Environment Party, told the BBC: "Today, there is a remarkable awareness spreading among the young generation, the post-2010 generation, they are aware of the dangers of climate change and global warming, and those over the age of 40, more than 70 in 100 of them are ignorant of these dangers.

Kamel explains that "if global strategies are not developed for each country to protect the environment, forests and energy, and if awareness is not spread among young people about the details of their daily lives, some of which directly harm the environment, such as smoking shisha or barbecue parties in the villas, this will have dangerous effects that directly contribute to the rise in carbon emissions." ".

Kamel believes that "if the Arab regimes do not possess environmental thought, take the necessary measures, apply environmentally friendly laws, and dump sewage into rivers, what can people do?"

Kamel says that in Lebanon, for example, 80 percent of groundwater is sewage, and there is something much more dangerous than this, so there must be a government decision to broadcast programs that spread environmental awareness and the dangers resulting from the daily behavior of humans.

A good financial position may push an individual towards well-being without environmental considerations

Omaima from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, says that meat is an essential part of their diet, and that their good financial situation does not push her to take appropriate and environmentally friendly measures.

And she adds, "In fact, I feel guilty because I know that our lifestyle is harmful to the environment, because of the frequent use of our private car for transportation and operating the air conditioner throughout the day and other things of life."

But her lifestyle is due to the hot weather in the country and the impossibility of replacing public transportation, and even the lack of public transportation as abundant as those in European countries.

Many in Arab societies still use black plastic bags to preserve food or preserve some foods and pickled sour foods in colored plastic boxes without knowing the damage they cause to the environment, with the exception of a number of Arab countries that have become attached to the matter, and have banned the use of black bags such as Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE .

The awareness of Arab youth in European countries is greater than in Asian and African countries

Of course, strategies related to the environment and climate are followed more in European countries than in Asian and African countries. For example, Nisreen, (38 years), a young Syrian woman who has lived in Sweden for more than 15 years, tells the BBC about what she is doing to contribute to limiting global warming and says: "We live In a country that depends on biogas for public transportation, and this makes it easy for me and my family and many like me in Sweden, because the state has provided the ways and means to implement this.”

Nasreen and her teenage nephews go on a weekly tour in the nearby forest from time to time, collecting plastic bottles and putting them in the containers designated for her voluntarily without anyone asking her to do so.

She says that in the family they talk about the importance of preserving the environment and the climate for the younger members of her family, so that they learn responsibility and take responsible actions that stem from their knowledge of the seriousness of the situation and not just because it is an obligation.

Simple actions can make a big difference

Nasreen and her sisters, she says, have changed some habits that are harmful to the climate.

You no longer use hot water a lot while showering, but rather lukewarm, you no longer spend an hour showering but ten minutes, you no longer drive a car unless the place is far away and public transportation is not available, you no longer travel abroad by plane but by train, and you no longer eat a lot of meat Rather, a lot of vegetables and legumes, and you no longer buy a lot of canned foods, but rather buy seasonal vegetables that are abundant in the market.

She gave up buying her coffee in a plastic cup, but rather relied on her own cup that never left her bag, and many other things that she knowingly changed.

This was also emphasized by Domit Kamel, who stressed that appropriate measures are taken if decision centers in the country take serious decisions in cooperation with experts and institutions concerned with the environment and climate.