Jordan’s Environmental Policies and Engagement on Climate Change

Abstract

This report provides an overview of Jordan’s environmental policies and engagement on climate change. As climate change is set to worsen an already difficult environmental, political, economic, and social situation in Jordan, the State has adopted a large number of general and sector-specific climate policies, and actively engaged diverse actors on these issues at domestic, regional, and international levels. It has implemented many significant measures to adapt to climate change, especially regarding water and energy. However, while it has achieved some successes, important gaps and shortcomings in policy and action remain, due to a mix of legislative, regulatory, institutional, political, and economic factors. The leading governmental body on climate change is the Ministry of Environment (MoE). At the National Climate Committee on Climate Change (NCCC), the MoE brings together other major ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI), and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), alongside participants from civil society, the private sector, and academia. So far, Jordan’s efforts on climate change, including on water and energy, have remained limited in ambition and action. One reason for this is that most policy-makers do not see the issue as a priority (compared to e.g. employment), in part due to a lack of understanding of its implications and costs and of the benefits of action.