SAB report highlights contributions to environment, climate change
KUWAIT CITY, July 10, (KUNA): The State Audit Bureau (SAB) issued a report on its contributions during the past 19 years in the field of environmental protection and climate change, in line with the guidelines and directives of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI).
The Diwan said in a press statement Saturday that these guidelines and directives from INTOSAI urge to activate the environmental role of regulatory bodies and contribute to achieving the 13th goal of the sustainable development goals to address climate change.
The report included the most important findings of the Bureau in the field of terrestrial, marine and air environment during the period between 2002 and 2020 from the reality of the audit work it carried out and the meeting with many government agencies related to environmental affairs.
It pointed out to the most prominent bodies related to environmental affairs, including the Environment Public Authority, the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources, the Public Authority for Industry and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, to discuss issues related to the environment and climate change represented in renewable energy, combating desertification, air quality and food security.
The Audit Bureau stated that citizens and those interested in environmental affairs can view the report through its official website by entering the information center on the public intellectual and professional production page. It indicated that the Environment and
Sustainable Development Team in the Performance Oversight Department in the Diwan intends to implement a specialized monitoring mission on the topic assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the performance of the concerned authorities in dealing with the effects of climate change in the State of Kuwait, which is expected to be issued during 2021.
The report stressed the importance
of the climate change file as one of the high-risk issues in recent years, according to the World Bank’s 2019 Global Risks Report, because of its significant negative effects on the life and stability of the individual, and by virtue of Kuwait’s geographical location, climatic conditions and geological nature, it is exposed to many environmental challenges.
It reviewed a number of those
challenges, such as high temperatures, high levels of suspended dust, increased sandstorms, lack of seasonal rains, limited water sources, and the decline of vegetation cover, noting that these challenges were greatly exacerbated by the beginning of the twentieth century as a result of global climate change.
The State Audit Bureau said that the State of Kuwait is aware of the importance of the phenomenon
of climate change, as it joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 1995 to 2015 in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The Bureau pointed out that this agreement aims to reduce the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous interference by humans in the climate system and adapting to its harmful effects.