The global summit on climate change in Copenhagen ended this week without realizing the objectives of developing countries. Unfortunately, it is these countries which are most affected by the negative effects of climate change, while industrialized countries are most responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon said that the agreement reached does not respond entirely to hid hopes and aspirations, but he acknowledged it was a start. The agreement includes the allocation of 30 billion dollars over the next three years to poor countries to confront the dangers of climate change.
Arab countries are, in many cases, the most vulnerable countries in the world to the potential impacts of climate change. The most important of these effects are high temperatures, low rainfall, and rising sea levels. The Middle East is a region already suffering from aridity, recurrent droughts and water scarcity. There are many examples such as the floods in Jeddah, Yemen, Algeria and Morocco this year.
Forecasts suggest that a sea level rise of one meter will directly affect the 41,500 sq km of Arab coastal land, with 3.2% of the Arab population affected compared with a global rate of 1.28%. Moreover, due to climate change the health crises might occur as a result of a rise in temperatures, with increased outbreaks of infectious diseases such as malaria and schistosomiasis, and increasing cases of pulmonary disease.
Climate change will also affect coral reefs, beach erosion and rising sea levels on the coastal tourist centres where sea levels are already relatively low. A rise in temperature by two degrees Celsius will lead to the extinction of up to 40% of all living species. Seventy five percent of the buildings and infrastructure in the region are directly exposed to the effects of climate change. Artificial islandsbuilt in some Arab countries will be the first locations to be adversely affected by rising sea levels.
Water scarcity in the region is critical. Although the Arab region occupies 10% of the planet, it contains less than 1% of fresh water resources in the world. The region's current population of about 300 million is expected to reach nearly 500 million by 2025. The demand on water is expected to increase from 205 billion cubic millimetres per year at present to 400 billion cubic millimetres in 2025. Various estimates indicate that the Arab individual share of renewable water resources will be less than 800 cubic millimetres per year by 2015, equivalent to 10% of per capita at the global level.
The measures that countries should take to adopt to and live with climate change include: changing agricultural patterns; adopting new water strategies in order to develop water conservation techniques and rationalize water usage; adopting integrated management tools of water resources; developing new types of crops that are more adapted to warmer temperature; and developing innovative mechanisms and techniques for the desalination of salt water suitable for the Arab nation. Appropriate measures must also be taken to protect important installations on Arab shores, coasts, and islands so as to protect them from corrosion and sinking. Finally, the Arab countries must reconsider their priorities for the distribution of water on different development activities based on water-use efficiency. This water-use efficiency can be measured by the volume of production per cubic meter of water, instead of production per area of land. These measures will ensure the greatest economic return form each drop of water.
Dr. Radwan Abdullah Al-Washah
– International Water Expert
