The Middle East is one of the most water-stressed regions in the world. This region is home to 15 out of the 20 of the world’s most water-scarce countries, (FAO, 2022). The region’s water resources are already under pressure from several factors, including population growth, climate change, and over-consumption. These pressures are expected to worsen in the future, leading to several serious consequences for the region.

Causes of Declining Water Resources

There are a several factors that are contributing to the decline of water resources in the Middle East. These include:

– Population growth: The population of the Middle East is growing rapidly, putting a strain on the region’s water resources.
– Climate change: Climate change is leading to more extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods. These events are disrupting the water cycle and making it more difficult for the region to access fresh water.
– Over-consumption: Water is being overused in the Middle East, particularly for agriculture and industrial purposes.

Consequences of Declining Water Resources

The decline of water resources in the Middle East is having several serious consequences, including:

– Water scarcity: The region is already facing water scarcity, and this is expected to worsen in the future.
– Conflict: Water is a scarce resource, and competition for water could lead to conflict between countries and communities.
– Health problems: Water scarcity can lead to waterborne diseases, such as cholera and typhoid.
– Economic disruption: Water scarcity can disrupt economic activity, such as agriculture and tourism.

Ways to Address the Decline of Water Resources

There are several ways to address the decline of water resources in the Middle East. These include:

– Improving water efficiency: Water efficiency measures can help to reduce the amount of water that is being used.
– Reducing water pollution: Water pollution is reducing the quality of water in the region. Reducing water pollution can help to make water more available for use.
– Developing new water sources: The region needs to develop new water sources, such as sustainable desalination plants and rainwater harvesting systems.
– Develop a related regulatory reform action plan with particular focus on water conservation, wastewater treatment and reuse, and water protection/conservation.

The Future of Water in the Middle East

The future of water in the Middle East is uncertain. However, if the region does not take action to address the decline of water resources, the consequences could be severe. The region needs to invest in water efficiency, reduce water pollution, and develop new water sources. By taking action now, the region can help to ensure a more sustainable future for its water resources.

How We Can Help

There are several things that we can do to help address the decline of water resources in the Middle East. These include:

– Reduce our water overconsumption: We can reduce your water consumption by taking shorter showers, fixing leaks, and watering our lawn less often.
– Support water-efficient products: When we are shopping for new appliances, look for products that are water efficient.
– Educate others about water conservation: Talk to our friends and family about the importance of water conservation.
– Pursue an integrated and holistic approach to managing both water demand and supply.

Collectively, Countries and citizens needs to be scaled up awareness and also build capacity of practitioners and institutions to meet the challenge of the growing water scarcity and climate change crisis in the MENA region.

“If the right sort of transition is not done, the whole survival of this region will be jeopardised,” he cautions. “This is what the IPCC…is telling us, that the whole region will be inhabitable in the coming decade.”

It’s a stark warning and one that Qatar has been keen to act on. As one of the world’s big energy producers, it has already outlined ambitious goals to curb greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors. Neeshad is positive policies like this will make a difference, but he also says people have to come together.

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Euro News – Arab Climate activist

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, sciences and culture. UNESCO’s programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

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Founded in 1946, the Middle East Institute is the oldest Washington-based institution dedicated solely to the study of the Middle East. It is a non-partisan think tank providing expert policy analysis, educational and professional development services, and a hub for engaging with the region’s arts and culture.

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The latest Q Life Magazine showcases the impact Qatar is making beyond its borders, sharing inspiring stories of people working to create change on an international scale.

Over the years, Qatar has become increasingly influential in the global sphere. In 2019, Qatar hosted the World Athletics Championships, the Arabian Gulf Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019, positioning itself as a sporting hub – regionally and globally. Qatar has also significantly increased its impact in the philanthropic and diplomatic realms, boosting its global commitments to support those in need. It is the determination and dedication of Qataris abroad that have made these aspirations become a reality.

Q Life Magazine issue 7 features an interview with Her Excellency Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed Al Thani, the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN and celebrates Olympic athlete Mutaz Barshim who won gold at the recent World Athletics Championships in Doha.

The magazine highlights the potential of those in Qatar, and how small changes can inspire a movement globally. Charities, such as ‘Box of Happiness’, are impressive reminders of our commitment at home and abroad.

Read the complete interview with Q Life by clicking here

Q Life Magazine can be read online on QLife.com – the GCO’s website dedicated to sharing the successes of innovators, entrepreneurs, and trailblazers in Qatar with the world. There, you will also find video interviews with many of the contributors, bringing their ambitions to life and sharing what can’t be captured in words alone.

We invite you to explore the inspiring stories of eco-activist Neeshad Shafi, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Qatar Airways Salam Shawa, adventurer and record-breaker Fahad Badar and many others on Q Life’s website.

In a July 2010 heat wave, the temperature hit an all-time high of 50.4 degrees Celsius.

“Qatar is one of the fastest warming areas of the world, at least outside of the Arctic,” said Zeke Hausfather, a climate data scientist at Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit temperature analysis group. “Changes there can help give us a sense of what the rest of the world can expect if we do not take action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”

While climate change inflicts suffering in the world’s poorest places from Somalia to Syria, from Guatemala to Bangladesh, in rich places such as the United States, Europe and Qatar global warming poses an engineering problem, not an existential one. And it can be addressed, at least temporarily, with gobs of money and a little technology.

To survive the summer heat, Qatar not only air-conditions its soccer stadiums, but also the outdoors — in markets, along sidewalks, even at outdoor malls so people can window shop with a cool breeze. “If you turn off air conditioners, it will be unbearable. You cannot function effectively,” says Yousef al-Horr, founder of the Gulf Organization for Research and Development.

UNEP is a group of young individuals and youth organisations that work towards environmental conservation and the representation of young people’s voices in governance and conservation processes. It has the role of the official youth engagement mechanism of UNEP. We, therefore, acts as the official group for youth in the negotiations of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) and in any other processes and activities of UNEP. Recognized and supported by UNEP, we bring together young people from different regions, ethnicity, and economic background and inspires them to take action locally, nationally and internationally towards environmental conservation and environmental governance based on the interest of youth.

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But the election of Donald Trump as the future president of the US cast a long shadow over progress made at the conference and a huge question mark hung over whether he would pull the US out of the Paris Agreement. However, the world leaders at COP22 and across the globe doubled up on their commitments to address climate change and major fossil fuel exporter countries in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia and UAE have been among those vocal groups of countries insisting that the US election outcome will not affect their plans to curb greenhouse gases under the Paris deal.

Global impact

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election reverberated around the world. The political uncertainty surrounding a Trump administration added confusion to a task that was already extraordinarily difficult. Global warming is a near-perfect example of the tragedy of the commons, as it is a problem that no individual action, no single country can resolve on its own.

On the one hand, this suggests the great danger of a Trump presidency’s reversal of climate change policies could bring about a global knock-on effect, pushing the world toward harsh nationalism and reduced international environmental cooperation. On the other hand, there is a veiled hope that the negative impacts of US climate policy under Trump will be limited by the current momentum in technological advancement and other factors. But these steps have been complicated because the Paris deal requires billions of dollars in public and private climate finance to be channelled from rich to poor countries and President-elect Trump vowed during the election campaign to end US funds to UN climate programmes.

Ahead of the next conference under the presidency of Fiji, which will be hosting COP23 in Bonn, Germany, the one issue that will be closely monitored by the participating nations will be the new President Trump’s pledge to scrap President Obama’s Clean Power Plan and the COP21 agreement. That said, if Trump was not to honour commitments under the Paris Agreement, it is likely that this will negatively impact his ability to get the cooperation of world leaders on other issues.

Gulf countries vowed to adhere to the Paris Agreement

In the wake of the Trump victory, Saudi Arabia, by far the world’s largest oil exporter, has publicly vowed to adhere to its Paris Agreement pledges. Saudi Arabia says it will press ahead with pledges it made under the Paris climate change accord, even if president-elect Donald Trump pulls the US out of the global deal after he is sworn in. It further added it had “no intention of watering down” its commitments to the deal. Other key Gulf countries like UAE, the first Gulf nation to ratify the Paris Agreement, echoed similar words of support to adhere to and go ahead with economic diversification and implementing the  accord.

This is a promising indication of how isolated the US may be if it abandons the climate agreement that virtually every country in the world struck last December in Paris, as the world’s largest oil exporter said that the commitment of other economies such as China and France underlined the accord’s strength.

After COP22

As the curtain fell in Marrakech, the delegates leaving COP22 gave a resounding message to the world that the COP21 Climate Agreement is here to stay and would be driven forward regardless of what America decides. We can only hope that, in the event that America does withdraw its support, the Agreement really is bigger than any one country as has been claimed. However, the US, being the most powerful economy in the world and the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, must respect the commitments that were made. It’s not simply its duty, it’s in the common interest of humanity.

We need to recognise that the climate issue is a global issue. At the end of the day, this process is resilient enough to move forward with global cooperation and commitment. We haven’t won the battle yet, we need to get more of a movement going. We need to get more people to engage.

Knowledge of environmental issues and sustainability is increasingly important as industrialisation and climate change continue to wreak havoc in our ecosystems and psyche. As temperatures rise and icecaps shrink and storms lash our coastal areas into oblivion, being smart about carbon footprints, waste streams and consumer choices become increasingly important for all of us.

That’s where the Earth Talks come in.

The Earth Talks Series is hosted by the Arab Youth Climate Movement (AYCM) Qatar. The series serves as a forum through which experts from non-government organisations, academia, government and the private sector share their experiences, wealth of insight and information about the pressing issues of the 21st century through the different voices speaking on behalf of the Earth. Through the Earth Talk Series, AYCM Qatar aspires to bring many of the world’s greatest thinkers, leaders and activists to Qatar. Its mission is to help everyday people like you and me understand complex environmental issues, promote sustainability and live greener lives. AYCM responds to the urgency and the dire need of environmental education in Qatar. The significance of environmental education (or eco literacy) is emphasised in the National Development Strategy 2011-2016 and 2017-2022. Creating an ecologically conscious society is a precursor to achieving a sustainable society, which was the ultimate vision of Qatar National Vision (QNV 2030).

The forums were organised at the Qatar National Library and Qatar Green Building Council and were open to the public for free. So far two distinguished guests have been part of AYCM Qatar.

Dr Joe Ravetz, Co-Director of the Centre for Urban Resilience & Energy at the University of Manchester, talked about urbanisation and the need to focus on building “wise communities”. Ravetz has pioneered the art of strategic thinking for sustainable cities and regions, which brings together environment-climate policy, urban planning and design, new economics and governance, innovation and future studies, systems thinking and complexity science. An architect, planner and development manager, he is also a creative graphic facilitator and foresight trainer.  His main publications include ‘City-Region 2020: integrated planning for a sustainable environment’, ‘Environment and City’, and the forthcoming ‘Urban 3.0’ (Earthscan/ Routledge).  He is on the editorial boards of Foresight Journal, International Journal of Sustainable Development, and Sustainable Mediterranean Construction; coordinator of the Greater Manchester Policy Exchange;  Principal at SAMI Consulting; policy advisor currently to Naples (Italy), and Vellore (India);  and delivers training, seminars, consultancy, keynotes and reviews in many countries.

In late March, AYCM Qatar hosted Dr Vandana Shiva, who discussed the ecological crisis and the future of global food security; the lecture was held in Qatar National Library.

Dr Shiva is a philosopher, environmental activist, author and eco-feminist. She is an author of more than 20 books including Biopiracy: the Plunder of Nature and Knowledge and Water Wars; Privatization, Pollution, and Profit.

She is one of the leaders and board members of the International Forum on Globalization (along with Jerry Mander, Edward Goldsmith, Ralph Nader and Jeremy Rifkin), and a figure of the global solidarity movement known as the alter-globalisation movement. She has argued for the wisdom of many traditional practices, and founded Navdanya (nine seeds), a movement promoting diversity and the use of native seeds.

Vandana set up the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in her mother’s cowshed in 1997. Its studies have validated the ecological value of traditional farming and been instrumental in fighting destructive development projects in India. She is a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS, and was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993.

AYCM Qatar’s upcoming lectures will include world renowned individuals like Dr Rajendra Pachauri – Nobel Prize Winner, Former Chairman of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr David Orr – Distinguished Professor, Oberlin College, Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Professor Emeritus, George Washington University, Christina Figures – Former Executive Secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Annie Leonard – Creator of Story of Stuff and Executive Director of Greenpeace USA and Dr Jane Goodall – British primatologist and anthropologist.

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