Head of the Advisory Commission at the Arab Federation for the Protection of Environment, Salah Hafez, predicted on Tuesday half of the world's living organisms will die within 50 years due to climate change.
At an Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs lecture, Hafez cited the ongoing rise in temperature as evidence of the phenomenon. According to Hafez, every year the world loses a large number of equatorial forests. These forests–which he describes as the "planet's lung"–are home to 50 percent of the world's living organisms.
ٍHe also warned against the impacts Egyptians will face. Hafez cautioned that Egyptian agriculture will be negatively affected, leading to desertification and genetic mutation in crops. He also predicted a decrease in rainfall in a number of areas and a surge in malaria infections that may extend to North Africa and southern Europe.
Hafez lambasted the Egyptian government's handling of climate change issues, calling for a more effective national plan to address the trend.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
