From Cairo to Costa Rica: Placing Water at the Heart of National Climate Commitments

As world leaders gather in Glasgow for COP26, it is clear that countries face serious strategic choices in how they address mitigation and build adaptation and resilience. Often undervalued in this dialogue is the critical role of water for successful climate change mitigation and adaptation actions. But some countries are beginning to demonstrate leadership on this front, with this simple message: For climate action to be effective, the role of water must be recognised. On this episode of ClimateReady, we feature interviews with representatives of countries leading the effort to feature water resilience as key to their national climate plans. Egypt and Costa Rica are two of the first countries to pilot a new tool called the Water Tracker for National Climate Planning, indicative of their commitment towards a cross-sectoral, water-centric approach to addressing climate risks. Dr. Eman Soliman, Head of Planning Sector for Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Cynthia Barzuna Gutiérrez, Costa Rican Vice Minister for Water and Ocean Affairs, joined Ingrid Timboe to discuss their countries’ adaptation initiatives and COP26 priorities. This episode is part of a four-part miniseries focusing on COP26 and work being done around national climate planning.