Assessment of Climate Change Scenario in the Middle-East Region

One key issue in climate change impact studies is the need to make an in-depth study on the likely impacts facing each country. In this paper, an assessment of the climate change scenario has been carried out for the middleeast region. Particular emphasis has been laid on the climate change issues pertaining to the state of Kuwait – an important state in the Gulf region. A World Bank report presented alongside the Doha summit in Qatar in November 2012 revealed that the temperatures in the Gulf region have increased 50 percent faster than the global average. This is an alarming situation for the region that is already experiencing temperatures in excess of 50 °C in some regions. Most of the middle-east region including Kuwait has a high demand for electricity for air conditioning and desalination of water thus emitting huge amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Kuwait being a prominent state of the middle-east region is vulnerable to the degrading effects and risks of climate change. Conserving energy and water, reducing carbon footprint and addressing climate change issues urgently is crucial for the sustainable development of the region. Therefore, the need of the hour is the pledge by middle-east countries including Kuwait to take proactive steps for addressing the issue of climate change. In this research, several solutions for mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change in Kuwait have been recommended. The research presented herein is likely to lend credibility to recent climate change modelling and assessment efforts being undertaken in the middle-east region Keywords— climate, change, middle-east, Kuwait, carbon