Extreme heatwaves, rising sea levels and even more severe droughts – this is the scorching reality the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region is headed toward, a Qatar Foundation researcher has cautioned citing a study.
“Unless drastic action is urgently taken to effectively curb global emissions, parts of the Mena region could be uninhabitable by 2100,” explained Mohamed Ayoub, senior research director, Environment and Sustainability Centre, at Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (Qeeri), part of QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University.
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report also points to the fact that the global temperature could rise up to 1.5C in the next two decades.
According to Ayoub, research needs to look at how the economy will be affected in addition to human life as he feels that despite knowing the harrowing consequences of global warming, efforts undertaken by individuals, corporations and governments often fall short when compared to the seriousness of the situation.
“The trouble is people don’t fully understand the effects climate change will bring about if we continue living the way we do. It is dangerously naive to assume climate change just means a change in temperature,” said, Ayoub, in an article on QF website.
He notes that the effects that a change in temperature by a few degrees will bring about are far wider than imagined. For example, changing rainfall patterns could shift agricultural production zones, significantly impacting food security and global demand for staples such as wheat and rice.
“From a water perspective, increased sea level is just the tip of the iceberg. Other issues include increasing salinity and acidity, each of which could impact marine life in the Arabian Gulf, and also the efficiency of the desalination plants on which we rely for drinking water production,” he explained.
Globally, coral reefs are not likely to survive past a rise of 2°C. About 25% of the ocean's fish depend on healthy coral reefs, loss of coral reef will also mean loss of the ecosystems and food chains they support.
“It’s not just natural ecosystems that will be negatively impacted,” Ayoub said. “Another aspect often overlooked is – will our infrastructure be able to withstand the projected 4-6° C change the region is expected to see? Could it mean shorter lifespan for critical infrastructure? How will it affect the health and productivity of the Qatari population?”
Solar power is increasingly the choice of renewable energy in the Mena region. A hotter regional climate means more challenging operating conditions and higher dust content in the atmosphere, which could potentially decrease both the yield and lifetime of solar plants in the region.
“Quite simply, climate change is everyone’s problem, and it is absolutely necessary that we adopt a multidisciplinary approach toward it,” Ayoub suggested.
The researcher stressed on the need to not only study the net impacts of climate change, but also how it affects different aspects of economy and society. He maintains that the way to do this is through increased multidisciplinary research in the field of climate change.
“If we want research that's relevant to our needs, we have to do it ourselves. We cannot rely on others to prioritise our needs. Lack of research and data to support regional climate change impacts is one of the reasons the Middle East has been under-represented in global climate agreements, like the Paris Agreement and Kyoto before it,” he described.
Ayoub stressed the need to understand that research often has to be at the core of the decision making process, whether it is from a climate change, air quality or energy production perspective. The ability to make an informed decision is dependent on how accurately we understand the problem, the solution and the most efficient pathway to reach that solution. This is the primary role of research and development in any country.
“For this to happen, synergistic engagement between research, policy development and implementation is indispensable,” he added.
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report also points to the fact that the global temperature could rise up to 1.5C in the next two decades.
According to Ayoub, research needs to look at how the economy will be affected in addition to human life as he feels that despite knowing the harrowing consequences of global warming, efforts undertaken by individuals, corporations and governments often fall short when compared to the seriousness of the situation.
“The trouble is people don’t fully understand the effects climate change will bring about if we continue living the way we do. It is dangerously naive to assume climate change just means a change in temperature,” said, Ayoub, in an article on QF website.
He notes that the effects that a change in temperature by a few degrees will bring about are far wider than imagined. For example, changing rainfall patterns could shift agricultural production zones, significantly impacting food security and global demand for staples such as wheat and rice.
“From a water perspective, increased sea level is just the tip of the iceberg. Other issues include increasing salinity and acidity, each of which could impact marine life in the Arabian Gulf, and also the efficiency of the desalination plants on which we rely for drinking water production,” he explained.
Globally, coral reefs are not likely to survive past a rise of 2°C. About 25% of the ocean's fish depend on healthy coral reefs, loss of coral reef will also mean loss of the ecosystems and food chains they support.
“It’s not just natural ecosystems that will be negatively impacted,” Ayoub said. “Another aspect often overlooked is – will our infrastructure be able to withstand the projected 4-6° C change the region is expected to see? Could it mean shorter lifespan for critical infrastructure? How will it affect the health and productivity of the Qatari population?”
Solar power is increasingly the choice of renewable energy in the Mena region. A hotter regional climate means more challenging operating conditions and higher dust content in the atmosphere, which could potentially decrease both the yield and lifetime of solar plants in the region.
“Quite simply, climate change is everyone’s problem, and it is absolutely necessary that we adopt a multidisciplinary approach toward it,” Ayoub suggested.
The researcher stressed on the need to not only study the net impacts of climate change, but also how it affects different aspects of economy and society. He maintains that the way to do this is through increased multidisciplinary research in the field of climate change.
“If we want research that's relevant to our needs, we have to do it ourselves. We cannot rely on others to prioritise our needs. Lack of research and data to support regional climate change impacts is one of the reasons the Middle East has been under-represented in global climate agreements, like the Paris Agreement and Kyoto before it,” he described.
Ayoub stressed the need to understand that research often has to be at the core of the decision making process, whether it is from a climate change, air quality or energy production perspective. The ability to make an informed decision is dependent on how accurately we understand the problem, the solution and the most efficient pathway to reach that solution. This is the primary role of research and development in any country.
“For this to happen, synergistic engagement between research, policy development and implementation is indispensable,” he added.
