Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, called today, Monday, for a global response to adopt measures to mitigate the factors that directly or indirectly affect the climate, a ministry statement said.
This call came during Arkab’s participation in the first ministerial round table organized by “OPEC” on energy, climate and sustainable development, held via videoconference, according to the same source, noting that the meeting brought together OPEC member states, their non-OPEC partners signatories of the Declaration of Cooperation, as well as international and African organizations related to energy.
In his intervention as the current Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), Arkab noted that “Africa suffers, more than the rest of the world, from the negative effects of climate changes that have grown in recent years,” considering that these climatic events “permanently occupy the international arena.”
To counter these disruptions, “the response must be global to adopt measures to mitigate the factors that directly or indirectly affect the climate,” says Arkab.
The Minister also stressed that many member states of the African Organization of Petroleum Producers depend “to a large extent” on oil and gas revenues to finance their economic and social development, which, according to him, requires “exploitation, production and marketing of the great potential of oil and gas that abounds in Africa.”
In this regard, Arkab pointed out that this exploitation, “requires expertise, technology and financing, which is still highly dependent on players outside the continents.”
Meanwhile, speaking in his capacity as Minister of Energy and Mines, Arkab reiterated Algeria’s position and commitment towards international conventions and agreements related to the environment, climate and sustainable development.”
It is worth noting that this roundtable provides a platform for discussion and exchange on challenges and opportunities arising from the implementation of collective climate mitigation actions for oil-producing countries, according to the ministry.
The meeting also allows for a common position to be reached by seeking a balanced global approach between the environment and development goals, especially as it precedes the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and some major global events related to environment and energy.
