Panel Discussion held for Students on Climate Change And Water Scarcity at the EduTech Fair in Egypt

Over twenty technical school students attended a panel discussion organized by the European Union Climate Dialogue and the European Union on the 18^th of April 2024 during the EduTech Fair in Cairo, Egypt. The aim of the panel discussion was to raise awareness among youth about climate change that is threatening Egypt’s water sector and depleting water resources, as part of a wider campaign to raise awareness on water scarcity challenges caused by climate change. The campaign also urges youth to take action by changing their daily water consumption patterns.

Over a period of one hour, the students learned about climate change, water scarcity challenges in Egypt, and their vital role as the generation that will be tasked with mitigation and adaption, and working together on solutions to climate issues.

The panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Tawfik El Keshen, Country Representative for Egypt at the European Union Climate Dialogues and hosted guest speakers: Dr. Ayman Ayad, Water Section Programme Manager at the Delegation of the European Union in Egypt, and Mr. Hossam Emam, EU Jeel Connector and CEO of Act Sustainable.

The discussions covered the impact of climate change in Egypt with a special focus on water scarcity as one of the most significant impacts of climate change, the potential community-driven solutions to mitigate and manage impacts of climate change, and the role of the EU in supporting Egypt’s water sector, as well as information on the campaign activities. The panelists stressed on the importance that people must be equipped with the knowledge they need to support mitigation efforts, especially young people, as they are the generation that will be required to deal with the long-term consequences of climate change.

Dr. Ayman Ayad said: “There must be increased awareness among this generation about climate change, as the problem exceeds the simple notion of “tap water is diminishing, the issue is more complicated than that, if you go to Alexandria, you will notice that “the city’s beaches have diminished in size over the years, as a result of higher temperatures, that have caused a rise in sea levels”.

The students were actively engaged in addressing the issues covered during the talk.

“Washing streets and sidewalks with water hoses and leaving the water running for hours have caused ground subsidence, people do not seem to be aware of the disastrous results of their actions,” said one of the students.

“We have a problem of waste water in this country, the amount of water wasted in juice shops is appalling, they leave a water sprinkler on at all times, and other shops use to clean their sidewalks and steps with the hose sparingly, I wish there are fines that are imposed on all of these irresponsible practices,” said Farah El Gamal, 17-years old attendee of the panel.

The one-hour long session concluded with urging the students to participate in mitigation efforts, and raising awareness and adopting more responsible consumption patterns, as they are the generation that will face the long term effects of climate change and water scarcity.