Effects of climate change in MENA
Climate change will have a devastating and far-reaching impact on the Middle East, intensifying long-standing governance issues and deepening socioeconomic inequities while also causing additional disturbances. The rippling consequences of climate change add to a formidable array of issues for nations already dealing with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, civil wars, rising conflict-induced displacements, exponential population growth, and a drop in global demand for the oil on which MENA economies rely. The region is likely to experience an increase in temperature significantly beyond the expected 2°C limit because of the intensifying effect caused by the large desert areas where dry land creates a feedback loop increasing the heat. By 2050, the region is projected to experience more than ten times the current frequency of heatwaves in a year, surpassing the threshold of human adaptability and increasing mortality rates.The Middle East is one of the most water-stressed regions in the world. Water resources being consumed exceed the collected precipitation water, leading to alarming low amounts of water. This has been accelerated by the constant drying effects of greenhouse gases. Wealthy nations are also at risk of running out of freshwater resources due to decreased groundwater, precipitation, population growth, and the high per capita consumption of water. Desertification, which has been on the rise, especially across Iraq, Syria, and Jordan due to the lack of groundwater, affects air quality, public health, agricultural production, and ecological systems. Governments are pursuing costly desalinization projects due to the region’s increasing need for water supplies, with Saudi Arabia producing the highest volume of desalinated water among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Global warming and its consequences continue to worsen socioeconomic inequalities and are a risk to underprivileged groups. Wealthy residents can temporarily avoid the consequences of rising temperatures using air conditioning and spending summer holidays in Europe, whilst the underprivileged work outdoors, increasing their risk of mortality on hotter days.
