According to him, this year alone, there have been too many examples of the devastating impacts of climate change on water and agriculture, and the distress it brings.

“Earlier this year, little rainfall caused crops to fail in southern Africa, leaving about 20 million people at risk of going hungry. At the same time, water shortages led to outbreaks of cholera in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, with states of disaster being declared in all three countries,” the COP29 President-Designate underlined.

“Agriculture is a vital part of Azerbaijan’s economy, employing over one-third of our workforce. But in recent years, rainfall has dropped by an average of nearly 10 percent. This is reducing crop yields and disrupting harvests. The Caspian Sea, with its unique ecosystem, is shrinking. The decrease in water levels has severely impacted the ecosystem of the sea and coastal areas, affecting biodiversity and coastal infrastructure.

Climate change is estimated to make some severe droughts 100 times more frequent. A global temperature increase of 2 degrees is predicted to push nearly 200 million more people into hunger,” Mukhtar Babayev mentioned.

“The stresses on water and agricultural systems, here and abroad, are only going to get harder. We must build resilient food and water systems to adapt to a changing climate. That means more funding, research, and implementation of new systems,” the minister emphasized.

AzVision.az

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