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

ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE 21
mented on a voluntary basis. If enforced, it was
estimated that these codes would save about 20%
<strong>of</strong> building energy consumption. According to
Joe Huang (2003), there is little indication that
previous efforts have succeeded in changing overall
design practices in Egypt towards improved
energy efficiency. Furthermore, the extent <strong>of</strong> the
codes’ enforcement and impacts <strong>of</strong> their implementation
on building energy efficiency have not
been assessed yet.
In Lebanon, a thermal energy standard for building
is under development with the support <strong>of</strong> the
ADEME <strong>of</strong> France. In addition, the Lebanese
construction law provides economic incentives
for voluntary thermal insulation <strong>of</strong> building.
However, due to a weak legislative and institutional
framework, subsidies <strong>of</strong> energy prices, and
the absence <strong>of</strong> a national strategy, many energy
efficiency projects in Lebanon, especially funded
by donors from the EU, have failed to achieve
tangible results (Mourtada, 2008).
In Syria, a code <strong>of</strong> practice <strong>of</strong> thermal insulation
for buildings is being developed. The aim is to
provide information to consumers regarding the
advantages <strong>of</strong> building insulation in order to
affect insulation purchase decisions. These guidelines
would provide best practices <strong>of</strong> recommended
insulation levels for new and existing
buildings (Zein, 2005).
In Kuwait, where air-conditioning accounts for
50% <strong>of</strong> building energy demand, a code <strong>of</strong> practice
for energy conservation was developed to set
limits for the electrical consumption <strong>of</strong> air-conditioning
systems for buildings. The code stipulates
energy conservation measures and limits for different
types <strong>of</strong> buildings.
Achieving sustainable building designs in the
Arab countries is at its early stages <strong>of</strong> development,
and only a very limited amount <strong>of</strong> scholarly
review to document such efforts has been
undertaken. For the last few decades, urbanization
in the Arab region, especially in the GCC,
has been characterized by forms <strong>of</strong> imported
western architecture which are far from being in
harmony with the Arab social, geographical and
climatic conditions. High rise buildings with
large areas <strong>of</strong> glass façade, and huge demand for
electricity for air conditioning can be seen in all
new urban centres such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi,
Doha, and the others. These unsustainable
designs <strong>of</strong> residential and commercial buildings,
besides being big consumers <strong>of</strong> energy and water,
are massive contributors to GHG emissions.
The second GHG mitigation strategy in the
building sector mostly reported in the national
communication reports includes efficient lighting
systems, certification and labelling <strong>of</strong> home
appliances, and dissemination <strong>of</strong> improved stoves
for cooking in rural areas. Lebanon, Tunisia,
Algeria, Syria, and Egypt have projects for certification
<strong>of</strong> home appliances at different stages <strong>of</strong>
development.
The Egyptian government has successfully developed
energy efficiency standards and energy
labels for the three most market penetrated appliances
in Egypt, namely room air conditioners,