CHAPTER 4 47 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Impact</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Climate</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Change</str<strong>on</strong>g>: Vulnerability and Adaptati<strong>on</strong> Coastal Areas MOHAMED EL-RAEY
48 CHAPTER 4 COASTAL AREAS I. INTRODUCTION <strong>Arab</strong> countries are situated in a hyper-arid to arid regi<strong>on</strong> with some pockets <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> semi-arid areas. The regi<strong>on</strong> is characterized by an extremely harsh envir<strong>on</strong>ment, with issues including scarcity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> water resources, very low precipitati<strong>on</strong>, low biodiversity, excessive exposure to extreme events, and desertificati<strong>on</strong>. The <strong>Arab</strong> regi<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>sists <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 22 countries who are all members <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the League <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Arab</strong> States (LAS), 10 in Africa and 12 in West Asia. It enjoys extended coastal z<strong>on</strong>es <strong>on</strong> the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Gulf and the Atlantic Sea where large percentages <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the populati<strong>on</strong> live in a number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> highly populated ec<strong>on</strong>omic centres. In additi<strong>on</strong>, growth trends <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> both populati<strong>on</strong> and tourism in the coastal areas have been well observed (Massoud et al., 2003). In 2003 the total populati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the regi<strong>on</strong> reached 305 milli<strong>on</strong>, giving the regi<strong>on</strong> 4.7% <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the world’s populati<strong>on</strong>. Over the last two decades, the populati<strong>on</strong> grew at an average rate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 2.6% per annum, with an increase in the total urban populati<strong>on</strong> from 44% to almost 54%. Meanwhile, the development and poverty situati<strong>on</strong>s in the regi<strong>on</strong> are highly uneven and poverty is a serious problem in many <strong>Arab</strong> countries. Almost 85 milli<strong>on</strong> people are below the poverty line <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> $2/day, accounting for almost 30% <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the regi<strong>on</strong>’s total populati<strong>on</strong> in 2000 (LAS, 2006). As a result <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> increasing populati<strong>on</strong>s and the expansi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> tourism, unplanned urbanizati<strong>on</strong> and industrializati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> almost all coastal centres have been observed at high rates. The need for efficient transportati<strong>on</strong> systems and a shortage <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> strategic planning, low awareness and law enforcement have significantly c<strong>on</strong>tributed to increasing polluti<strong>on</strong> and a deteriorati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the quality <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> life in many populati<strong>on</strong> centres. The marine side <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the coastal z<strong>on</strong>es <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Arab</strong> TABLE 1 THE ESTIMATED AREA, COASTLINE AND THE POPULATION WITHIN 100KM OF THE COAST (%) Country Area (Km 2 )* Coastline Populati<strong>on</strong>/1000*** Populati<strong>on</strong> Populati<strong>on</strong> within (Km)** Growth (%)*** 100 km <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> coast (%) in 2000**** Bahrain 740 590 753 1.8 100 Iraq 435,052 58 28,993 - 5.7 Kuwait 17,818 499 2,851 2.5 100 Oman 309,500 2,092 4,017 2.2 - Qatar 11,427 563 2,595 1.8 88.5 United <strong>Arab</strong> Emirates 83,600 1,318 4,380 2.3 84.9 Saudi <strong>Arab</strong>ia 2,250,000 2,640 24,735 2.4 30.3 Djibouti 23,200 370 833 1.6 100 Jordan 92,300 26 5,924 3.2 29 Somalia 637,657 3,025 8,699 3.1 54.8 Sudan 2,505,000 853 38,560 2.1 2.8 Comoro 2,236 340 839 2.2 100 Yemen 555,000 1,906 22,389 3.1 63.5 Egypt 1,002,000 2,450 75,498 1.8 53.1 Palestine (Gaza Strip) 27,000 40 841 - 100 Leban<strong>on</strong> 10,452 225 4,099 1.1 100 Syria 185,180 193 19,929 2.4 34.5 Algeria 2,381,741 998 33,858 1.5 68.8 Libya 1,775,000 1,770 6,160 1.9 78.7 Mauritania 1,030,700 754 3,124 2.7 39.6 Morocco 710,850 1,835 31,224 1.2 65.1 Tunisia 165,150 1,148 10,327 1.0 84 TOTAL 14,211,603 22,105 262,628,000 Sources: Modified after: (WRI/EarthTrend*, 2000); The World Fact Book**, 2006; Encyclopedia Britannica1; POPIN***, 2006, (WRI/EarthTrend,****,2000)