ME101 Lecture #08: The Challenge Beyond Economics | Climate Change in a Desert

ME101 Lecture #08: The Challenge Beyond Economics | Climate Change in a Desert by Aisha Al-Sarihi [Thursday, 08 October 2020]

Climate scientists show us that ‘warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia’: the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amount of snow and ice have diminished, the sea level has risen, and extreme weather events have become more frequent than before.

The Gulf Arab states – characterised by a fragile desert environment and high reliance on oil export revenues as a main source of income – are particularly vulnerable to not only the adverse impacts of climate change but also the to the outcomes of global climate change mitigation measures aiming to keep climate change at a (relatively) safe level.

This lecture will focus on four main themes: (i) how climate change contributes in exacerbating readily existing challenges of energy security, food and water security, economic stability, and in some cases transboundary political conflicts; (ii) what is the current state of climate action (governance, policies and regulations) across the Gulf Arab states, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation; and (iii) what are the advantages of enhanced climate action; and (iv) what else can be done to strive towards effective climate action.