Cairo, Washington Agree to Launch Initiative to Adapt to Clime Changes

 US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate during a meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Environment on the sidelines of the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Senegal. (Egypt’s Ministry of Environment)
US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate during a meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Environment on the sidelines of the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Senegal. (Egypt’s Ministry of Environment)
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Cairo, Washington Agree to Launch Initiative to Adapt to Clime Changes

 US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate during a meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Environment on the sidelines of the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Senegal. (Egypt’s Ministry of Environment)
US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate during a meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Environment on the sidelines of the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Senegal. (Egypt’s Ministry of Environment)

Egypt and the United States agreed on the importance of adapting to climate changes, especially in developing countries and the African continent.

This came during a meeting between US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Egypt’s Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad on the sidelines of the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday.

Kerry underlined the efforts exerted by the two sides to launch an initiative to adapt to climate changes on the sidelines of the upcoming COP27 climate summit.

He called for advancing climate action at COP27 as a conference for implementation, despite the current global challenges.

The envoy said he has coordinated with various countries and international organizations, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to implement Cairo’s ambitious program to increase 10 gigawatts of new and renewable energy.

Fouad, for her part, underscored the need for the US continuous support for Egypt’s “Nowfi” program.

The program is the link between food, water projects and energy, and aims to mobilize concessional development finance, technical support, and investments by the private sector for a package of priority green development projects within the framework of Egypt’s 2050 Comprehensive National Climate Strategy.

Fouad said the meeting tackled the expected outcomes of the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference 2022, which Egypt will host at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

The Minister stressed the need for developed countries to fulfill their commitments and work on doubling financing for adaptation, especially the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund, before the summit.

She also emphasized the need to come up with a special mitigation program to maintain the Earth's temperature in the range of 1.5 degrees Celsius, in accordance with the recommendations and outcomes of the Glasgow Conference (COP26).



Acropolis Trims Hours Again Amid Greek Heatwave

A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8,  2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
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Acropolis Trims Hours Again Amid Greek Heatwave

A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8,  2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas
A drone view of the empty Acropolis, after the authorities closed the site for the hottest part of the day, as a heatwave grips Athens, Greece, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas

The Acropolis in Athens will limit its operating hours for a second straight day because of heatwave conditions, the Greek culture ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry in a statement said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures."

The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday and is the second to grip Greece since late June.

Temperatures are expected to reach 41 Celsius (105.8 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, with a maximum of 37 Celsius in Athens, according to national weather service EMY.

The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday.

The heatwave will abate on Thursday.