Sharm El-Sheikh Research Articles

The COP27 screened through the lens of global water security

Water security is an expression of resilience. In the recent past, scientists and public organizations have built considerable work around this concept launched in 2013 by the United Nations as “the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability”. In the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27), held in Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt) in last November, water security was considered a priority in the climate agenda, especially in the adaption and loss and damage axes. This discussion paper represents the authors' opinion about how the conference coped with water security and what challenges remain to attend. As discussion paper, it had the purpose to stimulate further discussion in a broader scientific forum.

How about a Green Caliphate?

Over fifty years into global environmental negotiations since the first UN Conference in 1972 on the Human Environment in Stockholm, to the Climate Change Conference COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh in 2022, the major environmental concerns of our time are no closer to being resolved. Negotiations continued to fall by the wayside. Given the commitment to economic development and sovereignty of the nation states, the deadlocks are understandable. Against this background, this article proposes a “Green Caliphate” as a faith-motivated global environmental governance for a network of Sharia-based countries and devout local Muslim communities around the world. The article offers a set of rationales for considering the Green Caliphate in the light of climate emergency from multiple perspectives: social justice, knowledge sharing, and cultural transformation. Drawing on Schumacher’s Small is Beautiful and Ovamir Anjum’s “Who Wants the Caliphate”, this article broaches the concept of a socially and environmentally-responsible caliphate governance which might be in congruent with the Schumacherian pursuit of the “Fourth World” where government and economics are under genuine human control because the size of such units are small, sensible, and human scale, and where the pace of development is in accordance with the religious cosmology of their members to adapt. The Green Caliphate is envisioned on a decolonial horizon of pluriversality towards a multipolar world order. In the cycle of nature there is no such things as victory or defeat; there is only movement. Within that cycle there are neither winners nor losers, there are only stages that must be gone through. Both will pass. One will succeed the other, and the cycle will continue until we liberate ourselves from the flesh and find the Divine Energy. —Paulo Coelho, “Manuscript Found in Accra”

Performance investigation of seawater desalination system powered by central receiver concentrated solar thermal plant

Seawater desalination using solar energy is a promising solution for addressing water scarcity in arid and semi- arid regions, as it not only provides a reliable source of fresh water, but also utilizes the abundant solar energy resources in the region to power the desalination process in a sustainable way. For this, the aim of this research is to investigate the performance and economic feasibility of a concentrated solar power plant coupled with a desalination unit for sustainable electricity and freshwater production. Six different coastal sites throughout the Middle East and North Africa region were considered, i.e., Agadir (Morocco), Algiers (Algeria), Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Salalah (Oman), and Aden (Yemen). The concentrated solar power facility has a 100 MWe net output with two tanks of direct thermal energy storage using wet cooling with seawater as the cooling agent in the condenser; the solar tower model was validated using the Gemasolar power facility in Spain; and the desalination process include a direct-contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system numerically solved using the MATLAB software®, with experimental data used to validate the model. The findings indicate that large-scale central receiver concentrated solar thermal facilities are more competitive in Sharm el-Sheikh, where annual energy output and capacity factor are expected to be 586.28GWh and 67%, respectively, while the cooling water demand is expected to be 1,793,310 m3. The nominal levelized cost of electricity (LCOEnom) is 11.2 ¢/kWh. Furthermore, water production costs are <0.5 $/m3 in Aden, Damman, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Salalah, but >1.0 $ /m3 in Agadir and Algiers. The results obtained indicate that the combination of these two technologies can be a reliable source of power and fresh water for these locations.

Toward a Super-COP? Timing, Temporality, and Rethinking World Climate Governance

Toward a Super-COP? Timing, Temporality, and Rethinking World Climate Governance

Intrusion Detection for Electric Vehicle Charging Systems (EVCS)

The market for Electric Vehicles (EVs) has expanded tremendously as seen in the recent Conference of the Parties 27 (COP27) held at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022. This needs the creation of an ecosystem that is user-friendly and secure. Internet-connected Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCSs) provide a rich user experience and add-on services. Eventually, the EVCSs are connected to a management system, which is the Electric Vehicle Charging Station Management System (EVCSMS). Attacking the EVCS ecosystem remotely via cyberattacks is rising at the same rate as physical attacks and vandalism happening on the physical EVCSs. The cyberattack is more severe than the physical attack as it may affect thousands of EVCSs at the same time. Intrusion Detection is vital in defending against diverse types of attacks and unauthorized activities. Fundamentally, the Intrusion Detection System’s (IDS) problem is a classification problem. The IDS tries to determine if each traffic stream is legitimate or malicious, that is, binary classification. Furthermore, the IDS can identify the type of malicious traffic, which is called multiclass classification. In this paper, we address IoT security issues in EVCS by using different machine learning techniques and using the native IoT dataset to discover fraudulent traffic in EVCSs, which has not been performed in any previous research. We also compare different machine learning classifier algorithms for detecting Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in the EVCS network environment. A typical Internet of Things (IoT) dataset obtained from actual IoT traffic is used in the paper. We compare classification algorithms that are placed in line with the traffic and contain DDoS attacks targeting the EVCS network. The results obtained from this research improve the stability of the EVCS system and significantly reduce the number of cyberattacks that could disrupt the daily life activities associated with the EVCS ecosystem.

After COP27: Whither climate leadership?

After COP27: Whither climate leadership? The twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties (COP27) – tasked, like every annual UNFCCC conference, to accelerate climate ambition and action – duly laboured under the current global crises. What and where next? 2022 has been a year of multi-dimensional crises as the Russian invasion of Ukraine fostered an energy crisis, deepened the food crisis and, intensified the water crisis and the ‘post-Covid' debt crisis. COP27 certainly felt the impact of these crises. Expectations of the conference were low. Indeed there was understandable worry from the environmental community that the oil and gas sector, heavily represented at Sharm El-Sheikh, would turn the climate conference into a ‘world gas trade fair' (pushing gas as the solution to the energy crisis). The dilemmas posed, for the developed countries, between short-term energy security and longer-term climate action and, for the developing countries, between development and climate action were not addressed head-on.

El outsourcing hotelero y sus beneficios y riesgos estratégicos. El Caso de Egipto

The paper analyses outsourcing in the hotel sector in Egypt. It presents the main levels of outsourcing of the main hotel services or activities. Moreover, it also analyses the main benefits and risks perceived by the surveyed managers of this outsourcing strategy. Data have been collected from 114 hotels in two sun and sand resort cities in Egypt (Sharm el Sheikh and Hurgada). The results indicate that the most outsourced activities are entertainment, transport services, information systems and maintenance with the least outsourced activities as reception, room cleaning, laundry and food and beverage. In terms of perceived benefits, the main benefits relate to the focus on core competencies and helping to cover the urgent needs of the hotel; while the main risks of outsourcing relate to the detrimental impact of outsourcing on the hotel’s resources and capabilities and on the hotel’s performance.

Location location location: a carbon footprint calculator for transparent travel to the UN Climate Conference 2022.

Addressing the large carbon footprint of conferences such as the United Nations Climate Change Convention Conference of the Parties (COP) will be important for maintaining public confidence in climate policy. Transparency is also a vital aspect of creating equitable outcomes in climate policies, as those most likely to be affected or who can create change on the ground are often unable to attend in person because of the high financial costs as well as having a large carbon footprint. The selection of host locations for the regular meetings of the UN Climate Change Convention is based on a rotation amongst the five UN regions, which for 2022 was Africa. Here, we present a carbon footprint calculator for travel to COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, weighing the benefits of certain routes and modes of transport. The calculator demonstrates the well-known carbon efficiency of coach and rail over flights but shows that these benefits were partly diminished in the case of COP 27 due to insufficient transport links from Europe to the conference location. However, we also highlight some of the benefits of hosting a COP in the Global South, particularly in the context of climate justice. Users of the calculator are invited to consider all their options for travel and acknowledge the issue of climate justice through careful selection of carbon offsets.

Petroleum++: Petroleum Industry’s Viewpoints Vital at COP27

Our industry is front and center with any wave of climate change discussion. This is our reality and was the case in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), held in the resort of Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt in November 2022. Reports indicate COP27 had a better outcome than the previous COP26 meeting. So naturally, I want to share this information with our members. There are numerous outcomes that I am certain SPE will be discussing in future meetings and publications. Three aspects, in particular, are the participation of the oil industry in the conference, decarbonization vs. reduction, and attempts to phase out petroleum. Petroleum industry participants outnumbered every national delegation at the COP27 climate summit. The influence of UAE, the host of COP28 in 2023, showed on the sidelines and in the negotiations with CEOs of several international and national oil companies and oil ministers in attendance. Getting involved in climate change events, presenting the industry’s viewpoint, and explaining the substantial efforts taken to mitigate the climate challenge is essential for our industry to continue, to level the playing field and offer a balanced path to energy security and sustainability that we owe the world based on what our industry can deliver. UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said at the leaders’ summit, “The UAE is known as a responsible supplier of energy and will continue to play this role as long as the world needs oil and gas.” The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Egypt, Tarek El-Molla, added, “As the cleanest hydrocarbon fuel, natural gas is seen as the perfect solution that strikes the right balance and will continue to play a key role in the future energy mix.” Some of the highlights of the conference included: - The emphasis on decarbonizing, rather than reducing, fossil fuel use was adequately addressed and continually presented as a viable method to help reach net-zero emissions by 2050. - Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) showcased Al Reyadah, the region’s first commercial-scale carbon capture utilization and storage facility. - Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy announced the signing of a joint development agreement with Saudi Aramco for one of the largest planned carbon capture and storage (CCS) hubs in the world. The center in Jubail Industrial City will begin operation by 2027 and be able to store 9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in its first phase, and extract, use, and store 44 million tonnes of CO2 by 2035. At the 2021 COP26 in Glasgow, coal was named as a problem for the first time, with countries agreeing to phase down its use. In Sharm el-Sheikh, some sought to turn the heat onto other fossil fuels. Egypt never included fossil fuel phaseout language in the draft text, although it does promote renewables and “low-emission” energy. This could be interpreted as gas, which has lower emissions when burned than coal or other fossil fuels, with CCS. The final resolutions of the conference did not include any language to phase down petroleum.

One-year Dynamic Study of the Use of Solar Water Heater for Domestic Consumption in Egypt: An Energy Assessment

The use of fossil fuels leads to greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and secondary consequences such as desertification and winds in the Middle East and Africa, including Egypt. The use of renewable energy is the most appropriate solution to prevent the emission of polluting gases. Egypt is one of the best places to use solar water heating systems, located in the solar belt. In this paper, for the first time, the best place to use solar water heater (SWH) systems is examined using TSOL 2018 R(1) software and climate data for residential apartments in 35 stations in Egypt. The results showed that Sharm el sheikh station with supplies 96.8% of its total heat needs is the most suitable station for using solar water heating systems. According to the studies performed, using solar water heaters in the studied stations generated good energy savings annually (production of 134.5 GWh of solar heat). Also, greenhouse gas emissions were significantly reduced (preventing the emission of about 39.2 tons of CO2 pollutants per year) and as a result, the government should turn to the use of clean and renewable energy.

Strengthening Intergenerational Equity at the Ocean-Climate Nexus: Reflections on the UNCRC General Comment No.26+

The 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact brought the ocean into the international climate regime, and the 2022 Sharm el-Sheikh COP27 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has finally ushered the world into a special fund to respond to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including on the human rights of present and future generations. But much remains to be clarified about how ocean-based mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology will contribute to inter-generational equity. To shed light on these issues, this article starts from the premise that the ocean is an essential but little-understood component of the interdependency between climate change and human rights. It is followed by an exploration of the importance of a healthy ocean for children’s human rights as a way to advance inter-generational equity under the 30-year-old (1992–2022) UNFCCC through systemic interpretation. The upcoming General Comment on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change (General Comment No. 26) by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child presents an opportunity to clarify the role of existing international human rights obligations in strengthening intergenerational equity at the climate-ocean interface on the basis of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This appears vital to ensure coordination across intergovernmental bodies and national government departments to safeguard ocean-dependent children’s human rights through climate policy and action at different levels.

The Importance of Transition to a Green Economy for Travel &amp; Tourism in Support of Sustainable Development “An Applied Study on Sharm El-Sheikh”

The Importance of Transition to a Green Economy for Travel &amp; Tourism in Support of Sustainable Development “An Applied Study on Sharm El-Sheikh”

The effect of leader-member exchange and job design on employees' performance in five-star hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh: Mediating effects of employees' organizational commitment

The effect of leader-member exchange and job design on employees' performance in five-star hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh: Mediating effects of employees' organizational commitment

Study the Innovative Business Practices that Hotels have undertaken in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case study of Sharm El-Sheikh Hotels

Study the Innovative Business Practices that Hotels have undertaken in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case study of Sharm El-Sheikh Hotels

To address climate change, we need action

COP27—the 27th United Nations climate change conference—finished last week. After 2 weeks of negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, leaders from all over the world can now go home and get on with their business. Should they pat themselves on the back for a job well done? Far from it. The conference agenda’s many topics included negotiations for climate finance. Low-income countries pushed for measures such as loss-and-damage funding , which would allow nations to seek compensation after climate disasters largely caused by industrialized nations’ emissions. This marked the first time that this reparation provision has appeared in a COP agenda, and it puts wealthy countries on the spot. I don’t blame low-income nations for asking high-income countries to support the populations that bear the brunt of adverse climate impacts. A number of countries have agreed to chip in to a fund for loss and damages, which is a step in

Talent management practices in the extreme context of hospitality sector: an exploratory study

PurposeThis paper aims to specifically analyse the extent to which talent management practices in the post-COVID-19 era differ from those before the pandemic in the extreme work context of Egyptian hospitality sector.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses an exploratory qualitative research approach where semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 full-time employees working at hotels in Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt). Moreover, thematic analysis was undertaken on the interview transcripts.FindingsThe findings revealed that in the post-COVID-19 era, the case hotels exclusively use the inclusive talent management approach, in which all staff are recognised by the management as talents with the same workplace privileges. This approach helped to mitigate the negative influences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the findings highlighted the criticality of competencies such as multitasking along with in hospitality sector employees in relation to extreme context necessitated by COVID-19. The findings further established that when facing extreme events, such as COVID-19, a shift in training activities towards activating positive mental health and effective shock management among employees is also needed. This study found that organisational support and continuous learning play a vital role in individual employees’ resilience development, which also helped in retaining them.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the pioneering empirical studies on the relationship between talent management practices in extreme contexts and the influences of global disruptions resulting from COVID-19. Moreover, it is one of the few studies to specifically undertake a comparative assessment of the differences in talent management practices pre- and post-COVID-19 time period in the hospitality sector. The study findings contribute to multiple literature streams including extreme context, hospitality, human resource management and transaction stress model.

10 Science Insights for COP27

As nations convene in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, leading climate scientists share a new report to support more effective policy.

African perspectives on climate change research

The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) is being held in November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Having a climate summit hosted in an African country makes it timely to highlight climate change research from the continent. We asked a selection of researchers to share their thoughts on current research questions and how they affect African responses to climate change.

Who Cares about Jellyfish? An Environmental Legacy of the Suez Canal Begins to Surface

On June 24, 2015, a huge swarm of jellyfish clogged the cooling system of an Israeli coal-fueled power plants located on the Mediterranean shoreline, almost forcing a shutdown. Images from the event displayed tons of pale blue, translucent jellies, lumped together in a container and spread over the factory floor after being removed from the cooling system filter. The spectacular incident prompted speculation that the jellyfish were foreign agents sent from Egypt to sabotage Israeli security. It may seem laughable, but this is not the first time that non-humans have figured as agents and national security threats in geopolitical dramas in the Middle East. In 2010, following repeated shark attacks on tourists in one of Egypt's Red Sea resorts, Sharm El-Sheikh, the governor of South Sinai told the media he could not rule out the possibility of the attacking shark being remotely controlled by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. In this context, foreign, underwater jellyfish armies are nothing out of the ordinary.

A Greening Dragon in the Desert? China’s Role in the Geopolitical Ecology of Decarbonisation in the Eastern Mediterranean

ABSTRACT The new geopolitics of energy in the Eastern Mediterranean is not determined by hydrocarbons anymore. A significant expansion of renewables is underway. Driven by a surge in ‘Green Finance’ and decarbonization policies, this development changes conventional relationships of dependency. This takes place in an environment, where Asian and Western energy security strategies rapidly evolve in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean play a central role in this repositioning. China, far from merely being a dinosaur, is the largest producer of renewable energy. It also invests in infrastructure abroad, including Egypt. The largest Arab nation not only seeks to become a global energy hub, but also a decarbonization champion, as reflected in the hosting of COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh. This article will look at these developments, including its internal and external contradictions to understand the motivation behind China’s commitment to Egyptian solar expansion. It will demonstrate that, while part of a global political economy of decarbonization, China’s main motivation for investing in renewables in the Eastern Mediterranean remains geostrategic, tied to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This, in turn, informs how we think of the Geo-Political Ecology of Decarbonization in the region.