Middle East suffers the most from climate change

 In the past three decades, temperatures in the Middle East have increased far more quickly than the global average. Since precipitation has been falling, experts believe that droughts will become more frequent and severe.

One of the areas in the world that are most susceptible to the consequences of climate change is the Middle East, and those effects are already being felt.

This year, severe sandstorms in Iraq have regularly engulfed towns, halting business and bringing thousands of people to hospitals. Important agriculture in Egypt's Nile Delta is being destroyed by rising soil salinity. Drought in Afghanistan has encouraged young people to leave their homes in search of employment. Some areas of the region have experienced temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius in recent weeks (122 Fahrenheit).

The annual COP27 summit of the United Nations on climate change is taking place in Egypt in November, drawing attention to the area. Middle Eastern governments are now aware of the risks posed by climate change, notably the harm it is already doing to their economies.

"We are practically witnessing the results right before our eyes." These effects won't be felt by us for nine or ten years, according to Lama El Hatow, an expert on the Middle East and North Africa and a climate change consultant who has worked with the World Bank.

Initiatives for renewable energy have been building up in Egypt, Morocco, and other nations in the region. However, they have made securing additional foreign financing to assist them in addressing the threats posed by climate change a primary goal for them at COP-27.

One factor making the Middle East vulnerable is that there is just not enough room to absorb the impact on millions of people as global temperatures rise faster than expected. Even under normal conditions, the region already experiences high temperatures and scarce water supplies.

The International Monetary Fund observed in a report earlier this year that governments in the Middle East also have a limited capacity to adapt. Regulations are frequently ignored, and infrastructure and economies are inadequate. Because poverty is so pervasive, creating jobs takes precedence over protecting the environment. Civil society is heavily restricted by autocratic governments like Egypt's, which makes it difficult to use a crucial instrument for educating the public about environmental and climate challenges.

While also breaking their own promises, developing nations put pressure on the Middle East and other nations to reduce their emissions.

The United Nations has warned that the Mideast's food production may decline by 30% by 2025 as the region becomes hotter and drier. According to the World Bank, water scarcity will cost the region 6 to 14 percent of its GDP by 2050.

According to the World Bank, precipitation in Egypt has decreased by 22% over the last 30 years.

The frequency and severity of droughts are predicted to increase. According to NASA, the Eastern Mediterranean recently saw its worst drought in 900 years, which was devastating for nations like Syria and Lebanon, whose agriculture depends on rainfall. The demand for water in Jordan and the nations of the Persian Gulf is unreasonably straining aquifers. Sandstorms have become more frequent in Iraq due to the country's rising aridity.

At the same time, catastrophic and frequently damaging weather events, such as the deadly floods that ravage Sudan and Afghanistan, are becoming more common due to warming waters and air. The effects of climate damage on society could be very dangerous.

According to Karim Elgendy, an associate fellow at Chatham House, many people who lose the livelihoods they once had in agriculture or tourism will relocate to the city in search of employment. According to Elgendy, who is also a non-resident scholar with the Middle East Institute, this will probably lead to an increase in urban unemployment, pressure on social services, a rise in social tensions, and a threat to national security.

The IMF estimates that adapting the region's infrastructure and economies will cost the region 3.3 percent of its GDP per year for the next ten years. The funds must be used for anything from developing new farming practices and more effective water use systems to protecting coastlines, strengthening social safety nets, and enhancing public awareness campaigns.

Therefore, pressing the United States, Europe, and other wealthy nations to fulfill long-standing commitments to provide them with billions in climate change money is one of the top concerns for the Middle East and other developing nations at this year's COP.