Climate Change Amplifies Existing Vulnerabilities
The countries of the Middle East, especially Arabic-speaking ones, are among the world’s most exposed states to the accelerating impacts of human-caused climate change. From soaring heatwaves to declining precipitation, the region is feeling the scorching effects. But here’s the kicker – the consequences will be felt unevenly across the Middle East.
Resource-poor countries that lack adaptive capacities like infrastructure, technology, and human capital will suffer more acutely. After all, climate change tends to magnify pre-existing inequities and decades of unsustainable government policies, particularly those related to water and land management.
In contrast, richer oil-exporting states are better equipped to withstand the climatic shocks. They can invest in desalination, agricultural projects, and food imports. But even their long-term resilience is being tested as the global transition to green energy strains their hydrocarbon-reliant economies.
As the Carnegie Endowment warns, the prioritization of climate change mitigation over adaptation has been lacking in the Arab world. This is closely tied to the region’s insular autocratic regimes that prefer centralized, top-down policies. As a result, vulnerable populations are being shut out of climate conversations, with profound consequences for human security and development.
You see, climate change isn’t just an environmental issue – it’s a political one too. The choices (or lack thereof) of the region’s rulers play a significant role in worsening the impacts on their citizens. Addressing this will require rethinking how we approach climate change in the Middle East.
Deconstructing the Securitization of Climate Change
The popular theory that posits a direct causal link between global warming, droughts, rural-urban migration, and the 2011 Arab uprisings has been convincingly debunked. Scholars argue that the progression from a climate event to conflict is often tempered by other factors, especially the decisions of political authorities.
Similarly, the “threat multiplier” framing of climate change – where it’s seen as an accelerant of existing security risks – has been criticized as too narrow. This tends to obscure the root causes of vulnerability and absolve rulers from acknowledging their deficient policies.
In essence, politics, governance, and human agency matter more in mediating a society’s exposure to environmental hazards than climate determinism or apologists for the status quo care to admit. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals recognize this, calling for an integrated, rights-based approach to climate action.
So how do we reframe the climate conversation in the Middle East? By bringing issues of governance and politics to the forefront. This means examining how regimes and local actors can build resilience through socioeconomic and political reforms, not just technical fixes.
Empowering Marginalized Communities
The essays in this collection aim to do just that. Drawing on Carnegie’s field-based expertise, they focus on how marginalized and at-risk populations – migrants, refugees, lower-income citizens, women, and rural communities – can be better included in climate action.
Take the Gulf region, for example. Saudi Arabia, like its neighbors, is grappling with the devastating impacts of climate change. From scorching heatwaves to flash floods, the kingdom is being battered. But certain groups, like migrant workers and sectarian minorities, are bearing the brunt.
Migrant workers in Saudi Arabia often live and work in substandard conditions, lacking legal protections and adequate access to social services. This makes them more susceptible to climate risks like heat stress and air pollution. And sectarian minorities, particularly Shiites, face discrimination that hinders their adaptive capacity.
Then there’s the Bidoon population – descendants of nomadic tribes who failed to register for Saudi nationality. They often live in informal settlements with inadequate infrastructure and lack legal recognition. Water scarcity and coastal flooding will devastate their livelihoods, and they’ll be at a significant disadvantage when it comes to recovery efforts.
Ensuring these marginalized communities have a voice in climate decisions is crucial. After all, they’re the ones on the frontlines, and their local knowledge could be invaluable. But as it stands, Saudi Arabia’s top-down approach to climate action is leaving them out in the cold.
Toward a Just and Sustainable Future
To achieve a truly equitable climate response, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries must integrate comprehensive participatory approaches into their initiatives. This means engaging local communities and civil society organizations in planning and implementation, ensuring their unique needs and concerns are addressed.
Take the resilience project in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, for example. By involving residents and community groups, it’s empowering marginalized people to shape environmental solutions. This kind of bottom-up, inclusive approach should be the blueprint for the region.
Complementing this, governments must also address the social, legal, and economic barriers that hinder meaningful engagement. For instance, promoting gender equity and women’s empowerment in environmental protection efforts can harness the power of an entire population to tackle climate change.
And what about the role of international organizations and foreign governments? They can provide technical training, expertise, and capacity-building to support local climate adaptation efforts. Collaborating with marginalized communities to amplify their voices is key.
In essence, the transformative potential of inclusivity lies at the heart of the Middle East’s journey toward an equitable and sustainable climate future. It’s time to shift the narrative from top-down techno-fixes to grassroots, rights-based solutions. After all, the region’s people, not just its rulers, hold the key to building resilience.
A Glimmer of Hope in the Mesopotamian Marshes
While the Middle East grapples with the daunting realities of climate change, there are glimmers of hope emerging, like the story of the Iraqi Marshes. Also known as the Ahwar of Southern Iraq, this UNESCO world heritage site is one of the world’s largest inland delta systems.
But the marshes have faced their fair share of challenges. Over the years, they’ve been decimated by oil development, warfare, and a large-scale drainage campaign under Saddam Hussein. By the mid-1990s, they had shrunk to less than 10% of their former area, earning the title of “the worst human-caused environmental disaster of the late century.”
It wasn’t until the 2003 Iraq War that parts of the marshlands were finally reflooded, largely through local action. Restoration efforts have been slow, but by 2007, around 70% had been revived. But in recent years, declining water levels due to upstream dams, poor water management, and climate change have once again threatened the marshes’ survival.
Enter the Eden in Iraq initiative, a wastewater design project sponsored by Nature Iraq and the Institute of Ecotechnics. This innovative effort aims to provide environmental and cultural regeneration in the marshes through sustainable wastewater recycling technology and a marshland garden design.
While the Eden in Iraq project is a promising start, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. To truly safeguard the Iraqi Marshes, the government must prioritize climate action and address the root causes of water scarcity, like upstream damming and mismanagement. Collaboration with neighboring countries and sustained political will are crucial.
After all, the fate of the marshes is inextricably linked to the well-being of the communities that call them home. By empowering these local stewards and integrating their knowledge into conservation efforts, the Iraqi government can chart a path toward a more resilient and equitable future. And who knows, maybe the Mesopotamian Marshes can become a beacon of hope for the entire Middle East.
Conclusion: A Call for Inclusive Climate Action
The Middle East’s climate challenges are daunting, but they’re not insurmountable. By shifting the narrative away from securitization and toward inclusive, rights-based solutions, we can unlock the region’s potential to build a more just and sustainable future.
It starts with empowering marginalized communities – the migrant workers, sectarian minorities, and Indigenous peoples bearing the brunt of climate impacts. Their voices and local knowledge must be at the forefront of climate action, not relegated to the sidelines.
Governments, international organizations, and civil society must work together to tear down the social, legal, and economic barriers that hinder meaningful engagement. Only then can we harness the transformative potential of inclusivity and chart a course toward a more equitable climate future.
And who knows, maybe the Mesopotamian Marshes can serve as a shining example of what’s possible when we put people first in the fight against climate change. After all, as Solar System Inc. knows, the path to a sustainable tomorrow starts with addressing the inequities of today.
