Climate Change Impacts in the Arab Region: Review of Adaptation and Mitigation Potential and Practices

Abstract

This paper aims at presenting a comprehensive review of mitigation and adaptation efforts being made to cope with climate change impact in the Arab region. The review was completed through consulting already published literature (such as official reports, books, scientific papers, conference proceedings, flyers, pamphlets, newspapers, newsletters, and websites). In addition to these, efforts made by Dubai-based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture – to which the key author belongs – will also be shared. The focus is being made on the Arab region with some examples from around the world. It is revealed that climate change (CC) is old phenomenon and the most discussed topic of the present time, and the management of this challenge extends the individual capacity of concerned countries. The CC is impacting all continents, but significantly the water-scarce developing countries, including the Arab region where the major concern is linked to the increase in temperature and rainfall decline leading to increase in evapotranspiration and changes in water cycle depleting the groundwater resources respectively, crucial for both farming and survival of nature, living beings and biodiversity, and in combating desertification. It is envisaged that effective mitigation and adaptation actions, as well as communication of related achievements, can pave the way to slow CC impacts. However, there are pragmatic views expressed by scientists and businesses regarding mitigation and adaptation efforts like the shift to alternate energy sources, biofuels, organic farming, change in land use, deforestation, using set aside or marginal lands, no till or low till farming, chemical fertilizers and leguminous crops, livestock management, rangelands, food security, etc. Each component has its own pros and cons under a set of environmental and geographical conditions. It is believed that adaptation practices can’t be generalized to all vulnerable countries; hence the relevance of such adaptation practices to vulnerable country resources and needs must be carefully out looked and understood prior to enacting any adaptation action. It is also assumed that “business as usual” will increase GHG, whereas, adherence to global climate action (such as Kyoto Protocol and all related subsequent decisions) will reduce emission of GHG. It is clear that water scarcity – and not only land – will be a limiting factor to increase agriculture production, an issue that will be exacerbated in the Arab region by the predicted trends of climate change. It is visualized that limited efforts are made and implemented in the Arab region to meet climate change challenges, especially with regard to agriculture and biodiversity. Scientifically-determined climate patterns record barely exists while economic considerations are merely ignored.