Egypt: A Historic Environmental Place Towards a more Sustainable Future

“Anaphora”, House of God and Coptic Church

This report is also available in Arabic.

Report by Elia Nasrallah

Translation by Mary Yahchouchy

Despite the crises burdening the East, the latter is characterized with an outstanding environmental wealth that constitutes a great capital for the countries that seek to protect and preserve it for its future generations defying all the challenges it would face. The environment remains an element of interest and a main point in the agenda of most eastern authorities, hoping it would be a source of development and prosperity for their cycle of life and its pattern, especially since the region has witnessed several environmental achievements throughout history.

Let us take a moment to talk about a primary point in everyone's life. Do you know what distinguishes most the environment we live in? Do you realize that we all share a gift from God? His Holiness Pope Francis answers these questions in what he calls in his encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ our “Common Home”, or earth and all its creatures. Hence the "Season of Creation" aiming to strengthen this home, celebrated by Christians around the world from September 1 to October 4 of each year.

This year, the East participates for the first time in the celebrations of this environmental project after the Middle East Council of Churches translated its international booklet entitled “A Home for All? Renewing the Oikos of God”. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight the environmental wealth, main element of this common home in the Middle East, so we continue to work and pray for its preservation all year long.

We will start by defining the wealth of each of the middle eastern countries through reports and weekly interviews. Today, we learn about the Egyptian natural environment, which has become a cause of great interest the last few years. What are the most prominent environmental stations that Egypt has gone through? What are the achievements and initiatives aimed at protecting this wealth? Are there any obstacles that the country has faced in this regard? What is the role of the Church and believers in protecting the creation?

A History ensuring a Healthy Environmental Future

Legally speaking, Egypt’s interest in the environmental cause is evident in the constitutional amendments that were implemented in March 2007, where Article 59 stipulates that “protecting the environment is a national duty, and the law regulates the measures necessary to preserve a good environment.” The constitutional text was globally encouraged, because the right to a clean environment falls under the basic rights of the citizen. Over the years, several environmental laws and decisions were issued, such as Law No. 48 in 1982, on the Protection of the Nile and Law No. 4 in 1994, which is considered the most important comprehensive environmental law in Egypt.

Historically, Egypt has established an Environmental Affairs Authority to decide on and implement environmental policies. In 1994, it launched the Environmental Protection Fund to stimulate investments in environmental fields. In 1997, the Ministry of the Environment was established. Its mission is to monitor and fight pollution sources in cooperation with several environmental organizations and NGOs.

Egypt also focused on achieving the sustainability of the process of economic and social development, as well as the preservation of natural wealth for future generations. This is done through several programs such as fighting pollution and protecting the Nile River, the national program for waste management and national action to fight desertification.

Achievements in Egypt's Environmental Record

Egypt's environmental history has witnessed many successes and achievements keen to build a future that protects the environment and its creatures through achieving a set of goals. The country has worked to improve air quality by putting an air pollutant monitoring network into operation to collect data and information on air quality through 54 monitoring stations, in addition to checking vehicle exhaust and stimulating the use of natural gas as a clean fuel for the environment through several projects, especially when it comes to public transport and government agencies cars...

A national network for monitoring noise was established in Cairo and in other governorates and a plan was developed to evaluate new cities and declare them environmentally friendly cities. Egypt has also committed to the Clean Development Mechanism, which is one of the mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, aiming to realize projects in developing countries to reduce greenhouse gases, through financing and technology provided by developed countries...

Egypt has also exerted many efforts to protect the coastal environment by reducing threats and monitoring the quality of coastal waters in the Mediterranean Sea, the length of the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea, the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba. The country worked on implementing the Green Belt and Tree Forests Project around Greater Cairo, a tree belt with a length of 100 km including about half a million trees at a cost of 100 million Egyptian pounds. This project reduces the level of pollution in Cairo and uses sewage water for irrigation instead of wasting it in the desert.

Environmental Projects and Initiatives

Egypt targeted the youth in its projects and the country's future generations, to achieve the desired environmental goals. But how to bring them closer to the environment? What are the projects that involve them? The answer lies in the series of initiatives and awareness campaigns the Ministry of Environment launches occasionally, just like in 2020.

For example, the Cairo International Climathon Conference introducing young people to the waste management system and its impact on climate change, an afforestation and rooftop planting initiative that was implemented in the Beit Cairo Educational Cultural Center, encouraging youth to work in the field of environment in Egypt through training courses in the field of waste management and integrating the environmental dimension in graduation projects...

Afforestation campaign for Churches - Source: Youm 7

Egypt also worked on a training program to develop the business of small and medium-sized companies in the field of waste and encouraged youth to work in field projects related to the processes of sorting, collection, and recycling, creating job opportunities for them. Initiatives were taken to keep the Nile River clean, as well as the governorates, such as the "Our Health is in Our Environment" campaign in Assiut...

In the same year, an afforestation campaign for Churches was carried out in Minya al-Qamh, announced by the Minister of Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, which includes planting 10 trees in each of the 13 Churches of Kamar Gerges and Mar Mina, and several Churches in the villages of Qaraqra, Jdeideh, Kafr al-Dir, Mit Bashar, Salama Bishara, Ayoub Awad, Kafr Salama Ibrahim, Youssef Samri, Kafr Faraj Gerges and al-Saidi. This campaign aims to improve the quality of air and soil and avoid the negative effects of climate change.

In 2021, Egypt launched an environmental project linking Egyptians abroad with their homeland through the selection of the Minister of Immigration and Ambassador Nabila Makram of the International Egyptian Women’s Club Association in New York, affiliated to the “New Egypt” group, to participate in the development of Egyptian villages and spread the concept of environmental sustainability in them, within the framework of the Ministry of Environment’s campaign “Saft Turab … A Beginning” in Gharbia Governorate, coinciding with the two major initiatives “Get Green” and “Dignified Life”.

The Renaissance Dam dilemma

The Renaissance Dam - Source: Sky News Arabia/ Photo: AFP

Egypt is recently facing the problem of the Renaissance Dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River. Note that this dam will not withstand any flood, according to the Egyptian water expert, Abbas Sharaki, and it is expected that the flood will wash away parts of the dam’s structure and demolish its upper part, consequently, part of the dam’s lake water will rush to Egypt and Sudan. Egypt had considered the dam an existential threat.

His Holiness Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark Pope Tawadros II raised a Prayer in early July 2021 on behalf of diplomatic efforts to reach a solution to the problem of the Renaissance Dam. His Holiness stressed that "Patience and negotiations cannot last forever." His Holiness Pope Tawadros II’s words came before the weekly sermon on Wednesday from the Papal headquarters in Cairo on July 7, 2021.

The Coptic Church and a Global Environmental Model

Anaphora: A Retreat in the Heart of the Environment to the Heart of God

In light of all the environmental achievements and obstacles Egypt is witnessing, the country has a distinguished environmental center for retreat and Prayer. It is the “Anaphora” established by Anba Thomas, Bishop of Al-Qusiya and Mir, Assiut, located between Cairo and Alexandria and about an hour away from Wadi El-Natrun, to introduce the Orthodox Church to the outside world. It is distinguished by its simple design and lifestyle. It includes green spaces of diversed trees and is based on handicrafts clothes, food, and drinks...

The Anaphora is formed with sections like the retreat houses built in the form of a question mark, indicating that people who seek retreat carry within a number of questions between themselves and God and want to find answers. “Anastasia”, Greek for “Resurrection”, is a center for training servants and youth in spiritual leadership, Coptic arts, theological rites and Church history... “Anamnesis,” meaning “Recollection,” includes a panorama of the Church history and the Bible. “Keinonia” means “Communion” where young men dedicate themselves to the life of celibacy for service; “Axia” means “Worthy” where girls dedicate themselves to learn the art of writing icons and crosses. And finally, the "villa", with a dining hall, a library, a lounge, and a conference and study center.

The Anaphora stays lit by candles at night and does not depend much on electricity, and so does the Church. The Anaphora also includes a model of Noah's Ark, a building resembling the ancient city of Jerusalem, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and an exhibition of handicrafts...

After all the initiatives and projects to protect the environmental wealth in Egypt, the next step for the country would be to join the global environmental map through the fact that Egypt chaired the International Conference on Biodiversity and the world's leadership in setting the road map until 2050, as confirmed by the Minister of Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad. Egypt will chair the largest United Nations conference on climate change for which a national strategy in being cooked.

Communication and Public Relations Department

Resources:

Al Bawaba Al Electronya Cairo Governorate website: https://bit.ly/2Wdf2JA

Vetogate website: https://bit.ly/3kicL8j

Sada El Balad website: https://bit.ly/3DdZCWi

Masrawi website: https://bit.ly/3AZSjj6

Al Ard website: https://bit.ly/3mpTlB2

The Coptic Orthodox Church Spokesperson Official Facebook Page: https://bit.ly/3zAj1Pa

RT Arabic website: https://bit.ly/3zeYBLi

DW website: https://bit.ly/3AWnJqO