Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries - (IPCC) - Working ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

XVIII INTRODUCTION activities based on water use efficiency represented by production per cubic meter <strong>of</strong> water, rather than production per unit area <strong>of</strong> land, i.e., optimizing water use, especially in agriculture, which gives maximum economic return per unit volume <strong>of</strong> water. FOOD PRODUCTION Food security in the Arab world has long been subject to environmental and socio-economic pressures. The dominant arid conditions, limited water resources, erratic cropping patterns, intensive grazing, population growth, and low knowledge and technology levels all affect food production systems in the region. The dominant agricultural system in Arab countries is rainfed agriculture; as such, annual agricultural productivity and food security are highly correlated to the annual variability <strong>of</strong> precipitation. <strong>Climate</strong> change may increase the variability <strong>of</strong> rainfall and thus increase incidents <strong>of</strong> drought. Projected climate changes may have disastrous effects on agricultural production in the Arab world. As a number <strong>of</strong> studies have shown, increased temperatures cause much higher water needs in summer crops. Water scarcity in the Arab region is projected to increase rather than decrease, and therefore agriculture – and in turn the Arab region’s food security – is highly vulnerable to climate change, with the risk <strong>of</strong> 50% decrease in food production if current practices continue. What policies can help adapt the Arab world’s agricultural sector to climate change This AFED Report recommends that crop varieties, fertilizer, irrigation and other water management practices should be altered, as necessary, in light <strong>of</strong> climate change vulnerabilities. Also, information on climate variability and seasonal climate forecasting need to be improved in order to reduce production risk. TOURISM Tourism is important for a number <strong>of</strong> Arab economies. However, like most sectors <strong>of</strong> economic activity, it is vulnerable to the impacts <strong>of</strong> climate change. The attractiveness <strong>of</strong> a tourism destination depends to a significant degree on the climate, although clearly a number <strong>of</strong> other factors are also important. Using an index <strong>of</strong> various climatic factors, the index <strong>of</strong> tourism comfort measures the degree <strong>of</strong> climatic comfort at a given site. With climate change, however, the climatic factors change. For example, the arid lands in the Arab region will expand, moving north in North Africa. The index <strong>of</strong> tourism comfort will probably decline in the Arab world in the coming decades. The areas currently classified as "good", "very good" and "excellent" will be less favourable by the year 2080, with climate change to blame. Many <strong>of</strong> the projected climate changes in the Arab region will impact the attractiveness <strong>of</strong> Arab tourist destinations. Hotter summers, droughts, extreme weather events, water scarcity, and ecosystem degradation are examples.
ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE XIX Coral reefs are important tourist attractions for Egypt and Jordan, but are at the same time extremely vulnerable to climatic changes, brought about by increased temperatures and ocean acidity, both <strong>of</strong> which contribute to coral bleaching. Beach erosion is also a risk to the attractiveness <strong>of</strong> coastal areas. Narrow low-lying sandy beaches will be badly affected and these stretches would become unsuitable for sea-goers. Much will depend on how well the sector can adapt. Future tourism development must take anticipated changes into account through integrated and inclusive planning, such as clearer guidelines on the allowed distance between permanent structures and the shoreline. Options for alternative and more sustainable tourism which is less sensitive to climatic variability, such as cultural tourism, should be explored. Finally, more inland and desert tourist destinations should be developed. INFRASTRUCTURE <strong>Climate</strong> change is expected to significantly affect infrastructure across the Arab world. Transportation infrastructure is generally vulnerable to projected increases in the intensity and frequency <strong>of</strong> hot days, storm activities, and sea level rise. Infrastructure in the coastal zones is particularly vulnerable to SLR and possible storm surges. These risks are highest in Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE. Reliability <strong>of</strong> water supply systems will be impacted by diminishing fresh water supplies and higher average temperatures. Wastewater networks are particularly vulnerable to excessive rainfall events and SLR. Energy generation will be hampered by higher ambient temperatures which will reduce the efficiency and capacity <strong>of</strong> gas turbines, and reduce the cooling efficiency <strong>of</strong> thermal plants. Energy distribution and transmission systems will be more prone to failure as extreme weather events become more frequent. What should be done Infrastructure should be enhanced to withstand climate change, design criteria and operations should be upgraded to take it into account, new technologies should be utilized and the public should be brought into the decision-making process. BIODIVERSITY Many plant and animal species in the Arab world already face threats to their survival, and their vulnerability will be exacerbated by the projected impacts <strong>of</strong> climate change. The number <strong>of</strong> species in the Arab world is already low by global standards, and the general harshness <strong>of</strong> the arid climate makes the region especially vulnerable to significant species loss. Using the IUCN threat categories, Yemen has by far the highest number <strong>of</strong> threatened plant species at 159, while Sudan and Somalia have 17 each. Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen all have more than 80 threatened animal species, with Egypt topping the list at 108 species. <strong>Climate</strong> change could alter the animal composition <strong>of</strong> entire ecosystems. Ornithological diversity is a major asset to the Arab world and is very threatened
Page 2 and 3: Arab Environment: Climate</
Page 4 and 5: ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE II
Page 6 and 7: ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE V
Page 8 and 9: ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE VI
Page 10 and 11: ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE IX
Page 12 and 13: XII INTRODUCTION A number o
Page 14 and 15: XIV INTRODUCTION nology cooperation
Page 16 and 17: XVI INTRODUCTION The respondents to
Page 20 and 21: XX INTRODUCTION by climate change.
Page 22 and 23: XXII INTRODUCTION REGIONAL CLIMATE
Page 24 and 25: CHAPTER 1 1 Arab Public Opinion and
Page 26 and 27: ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE 3
Page 36 and 37: CHAPTER 2 13 GHG Emissions: Mitigat
Page 54 and 55: CHAPTER 3 31 A Remote Sensing Study
Page 68 and 69:
ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE 45
Page 70 and 71:
CHAPTER 4 47 Impact</strong
Page 72 and 73:
Page 74 and 75:
Page 76 and 77:
Page 78 and 79:
Page 80 and 81:
Page 82 and 83:
Page 84 and 85:
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88 and 89:
Page 90 and 91:
Page 92 and 93:
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102 and 103:
Page 104 and 105:
Page 106 and 107:
Page 108 and 109:
Page 110 and 111:
Page 112 and 113:
Page 114 and 115:
Page 116 and 117:
Page 118 and 119:
Page 120 and 121:
Page 122 and 123:
Page 124 and 125:
CHAPTER 8 101 Impact</stron
Page 126 and 127:
Page 128 and 129:
Page 130 and 131:
Page 132 and 133:
Page 134 and 135:
Page 136 and 137:
CHAPTER 9 113 Impact</stron
Page 138 and 139:
Page 140 and 141:
Page 142 and 143:
Page 144 and 145:
CHAPTER 10 121 Impact</stro
Page 146 and 147:
Page 148 and 149:
Page 150 and 151:
Page 152 and 153:
CHAPTER 11 129 International Negoti
Page 154 and 155:
Page 156 and 157:
Page 158 and 159:
Page 160 and 161:
Page 162 and 163:
Page 164 and 165:
Page 166 and 167:
CHAPTER 12 143 Interrelation betwee
Page 168 and 169:
Page 170 and 171:
Page 172 and 173:
Page 174 and 175:
Page 176 and 177:
Page 178 and 179:
156 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CNA
Page 180 and 181:
158 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS MENA
show all

Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries - (IPCC) - Working ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?