A shift to a green economy pathway could lead Egypt to achieve annual savings of $2.4 billion, as well as a 13 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, and a 40 per cent reduction in water consumption.

This is according to a new report released by the Egyptian Government, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners.

The report titled the Green Economy Scoping Study for Egypt finds that economic and environmental trends such as declining water share per capita of over 30 per cent by 2025, solid waste generation increases of 36 per cent since 2000, and natural resource depletion of around 3.78 per cent annually, can be reduced and reversed through strategic policy interventions that can accelerate Egypt’s sustainable development.

UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, “Challenges such as Egypt’s rapidly growing population – which could reach 100 million by 2020 – coupled with an ecological footprint almost three times its available bio-capacity are opportunities to implement an inclusive green economy strategy that can revitalise and diversify the economy and achieve social equity while also conserving the environment, and improving health and human welfare.”

“This report demonstrates that greening key sectors such as water, agriculture, waste and energy is an economically and environmentally astute course of action.”

The report, which was prepared by UNEP at the request of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and State Ministry for Environment, presents proposed interventions and investment options, as well as expected benefits and policy approaches for greening Egypt’s agricultural, water, energy and solid waste sectors.

Egyptian Minister of Environment, Dr. Khaled Fahmy, said, “Transitioning into the green economy across diverse sectors offers a clear pathway to achieving durable and equitable sustainable development for Egypt.”