RIYADH: Arab leaders warned of growing agricultural challenges caused by global warming as they urged for more support from richer nations during the UN’s Climate Change Conference.

Addressing heads of state and other delegates at the meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Libyan President Mohamed Al-Menfi said scarce rainfall and reduced water resources over the past few years are causing severe droughts that are accelerating due to the soil becoming drier and the topsoil getting lost.

He added: “Climate change undermines the opportunities of development and investment and curbs economic growth, particularly in the developing countries that are agricultural-based, that is due to the difficulty to make up for the loss of natural resources.” 

Al-Menfi said the Presidential Council of Libya is aspiring to build a nation-state that opens up to the world and is committed to international instruments.

“Despite the political transition in Libya, we have not been idle, we have activated the National Committee for Climate Change and raised awareness about further engagement with the international community to mitigate the negative impact of climate change,” he added.

Similarly, the President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said: “What is evident is that there is no equity and fairness in global climate, as the nations that produce greenhouse gas emissions pay the highest price twice.”

Speaking of the challenge facing his continetnt, he said that in 2022 over 800 million people — the majority from Africa — face food insecurity. 

With regards to Somalia, around 7 million cannot meet their basic food needs and require urgent humanitarian assistance, he explained. 

Mohammed Shtayyeh, Prime Minister of Palestine, reasserted the importance of international assistance from richer countries.

“Aid from rich countries, even if it is small, has a significant impact. The world’s poor are paying the price for emissions in rich countries.”

Shtayyeh said that emission reduction needs to be financed and the investment in clean energy needs many times the amount of funding now available.

“It seems the world is still far from achieving the goals set by the Paris Climate Conference because the change doesn’t happen overnight as the signatories have not reduced emissions from their lands,” he said.