Climate changes in Egypt.. What happened recently?
Climate changes in Egypt.. What happened recently?
Within a few weeks between May and early June 2025, Egypt witnessed an accelerating wave of climate change and natural phenomena that varied between tangible earthquakes and violent weather storms, highlighting once again the fragility of our environment in the face of the increasing challenges resulting from the many climate changes and accelerated geological activities.
These successive events are an important reminder that Egypt – like other countries in the world – faces complex environmental challenges that require a comprehensive response. While earthquakes are due to deep geological dynamics, extreme weather events such as storms are significantly increasing in intensity and frequency, and there is strong scientific evidence that this is linked to global climate change. These fluctuations place enormous pressures on infrastructure, food security, water resources, and public health; Which hinders progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) sought byEgypt Vision 2030.
The recurrence of these phenomena over a short period of time confirms that Egypt is not isolated from the repercussions of climate change and escalating geological activity, and calls for an assessment of the readiness of infrastructure and societies to deal with a mix of diverse challenges. While the underlying causes of earthquakes are different from those that lead to storms, their effects may overlap; Weak infrastructure damaged by storms becomes more vulnerable to additional damage from earthquakes, creating a vicious cycle of environmental and economic degradation.
Cairo earthquake and Alexandria storm
On the fourteenth of May 2025, residents of Cairo and a number of governorates woke up toa strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter east of the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea, at a depth of more than 60 kilometers below the surface of the earth, and although a large number of citizens felt it, it did not result in any loss of life or property.
On the other hand, Alexandria Governorate witnessed in the early hours of the morning of May 31, 2025,a severe weather storm accompanied by thunder and snow rain and winds reaching speeds of 83 km/hour. The storm resulted in extensive material damage, as well as large accumulations of rainwater in the streets, and the governorate’s executive agencies responded by raising the maximum level of preparedness and deploying emergency teams and suction equipment to deal with the repercussions.
The Alexandria storm revealed the extent of the impact that extreme weather phenomena can have on urban infrastructure, including widespread economic losses and a decline in the quality of life in general. Which reinforces the need to develop a flexible infrastructure capable of withstanding accelerated climate changes.
In light of the coincidence of this storm with the Cairo earthquake in the middle of the same month, the importance of adopting integrated strategies for disaster management emerges, based on a dual approach that combines dealing with geological risks – such as earthquakes – as expected natural phenomena, and dealing with climatic risks – such as storms and severe rains – as events that are increasing in severity and frequency in light of climate change, and require clear plans for adaptation and mitigation. This trend is in line with what the National Climate Change Strategy 2050 called for, and the state seeks to achieve it within the framework of its vision for sustainable development.
Despite the severity of the Alexandria storm, the modern infrastructure that was developed over the past years has proven its effectiveness and ability to withstand. This crisis revealed the amount of work and effort that was made to avoid repeating tragic scenarios that had occurred before in Alexandria, where projects to separate rain networks from sewage, develop lifting stations, and increase equipment contributed to containing the crisis and quickly dealing with water accumulations.
A new earthquake hits Hurghada and Giza in one day
It was not long before Egypt witnessed other earthquakes. On Sunday, June 1, 2025, a mild earthquake measuring 3.33 on the Richter scale was recorded northwest of Hurghada, at a depth of 10.16 kilometers. On the evening of the same day, another mild earthquake struck Giza Governorate with a magnitude of 2.31 on the Richter scale and a depth of 3.17 kilometers.
The Red Sea region is considered one of the seismically active areas as a result of tectonic movements between the African and Arab plates and the presence of active geological faults. This activity is considered normal for the region, and although these earthquakes did not result in human or material losses, their recurrence may affect the psychological state of citizens.
Towards a more resilient future in the face of climate change
The recent events in Egypt, from earthquakes to violent storms, highlight the urgent need to integrate the principles of sustainable development into urban and community planning, to reduce the effects of environmental and geological phenomena, and enhance society’s resilience in the face of these increasing phenomena due to the accelerating pace of climate change and the exacerbation of environmental risks. From this standpoint,Earth Guards believes that disaster management efforts should focus on raising awareness of natural geological phenomena, in addition to providing all types of support to citizens.
