MP Alexandra Attalidou, member of the Cypriot delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, participated today in a teleconference with members of the EUMED group, organized by the Greek Parliament on "New technologies for the protection of the environment: Prevention and response to natural disasters".
Ms Attalidou pointed out that despite the commitments made by countries under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the effects of climate change are increasingly being felt. Ms Attalidou referred to the initiative taken by the Republic of Cyprus, in cooperation with other Eastern Mediterranean countries, to develop a regional Action Plan to address the impacts of climate change.
Referring to the devastating fires that have affected Cyprus in recent years, Ms Attalidou stressed the need to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the EUMED countries. The devastating fires in Cyprus last summer, Ms Attalidou underlined, demonstrate that the Eastern Mediterranean region is disproportionately affected by extreme weather events, due to increasing heat waves and prolonged drought. The creation of the "rescEU" system, Ms Attalidou noted, is an important step in this direction, as it enables early fire fighting and fire prevention and rational management of aerial and ground fire-fighting assets.
Finally, the Cypriot MEP underlined that national Parliaments have an important role to play in efforts to find timely, effective and permanent solutions that will contribute to curbing the climate threat, through the adoption of strong legislation to control and monitor environmentally damaging activities, ensuring that national strategies invest in the goal of transitioning to a circular and green economy.
(Text as sent from the House of Representatives)
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