Arab Environment: Future Challenges
At the beginning of the 21st century, it is clear that the most salient issue facing the world today is that of the environment. Environmental problems have featured heavily in scientific warnings, political agendas, public concern, and media attention. The Arab region is not isolated from the rest of the world when it comes to this topic.
This report seeks to highlight in a holistic manner the most important environmental issues facing the Arab world, and attempts to offer advice for policymakers, citizens, scientific and academic institutions, and the media on how to mitigate the dangers created by environmental degradation.
The Arab world has undergone huge changes in the last century. Its population has risen from below 50 million a century ago to over 325 million today. During this same period, the environment has deteriorated and natural resources have dwindled, due to development patterns which were largely unsustainable. In most cases, policies were overwhelmingly sets of provisional short-term measures, meant to tackle momentary challenges rather than engage in long-term planning.
Some parts of the region have seen unprecedented growth, bringing both economic and social prosperity to millions of Arabs during the last decades, thanks, largely, to the rising income from oil. Has this economic development, however, come at a cost? Can the patterns of development which some Arab countries are experiencing continue, while sustaining livelihood and quality of life for future generations? We doubt.
Today, the state of the Arab environment stands at a pivotal juncture, with numerous environmental problems both current and imminent threatening the region. At the same time, awareness of the issues, as well as signs of political and social willingness to act, provide hope for timely intervention.
This report, the first of its kind to be compiled and authored by independent experts from across the Arab region, offers an overview of the state of the environment in the Arab world, highlighting environmental challenges, social, political, and demographic trends, progress in regional and sub-regional cooperation, and recommendations for future action.
The report can be accessed at the following link:
