Spotlight

AFED contributed a main chapter to the 14th report of the Arab Thought Foundation, under the title “Arab Environmental Challenges in a Changing World”. Based on AFED research findings on the topic, Secretary General Najib Saab wrote an extensive overview of the emerging situation, proposing policy recommendations.

The world has faced enormous crises in recent years, from the Corona pandemic to the devastating war in Ukraine, the ethnic genocide in Palestine and the American-Israeli-Iranian confrontation, with its devastating impact on Lebanon and the Arab Gulf countries, to the shocking isolationist unilateral policies of the US administration led by Donald Trump. These crises have led to massive disruptions in supply chains, energy, food and higher prices, which have also hampered environmental initiatives and investments. The Arab region has not been spared the effects of these crises, as many of them deal simultaneously with wars, internal conflicts and economic failures. All this has had enormous consequences for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, energy transition, water and food security and climate action. The crises have revealed engrained vulnerabilities in Arab countries, as a group and at varying levels among countries, which have had enormous environmental consequences.

The Arab region has already been suffering from food insecurity as a result of rapid population growth and drought caused by climate change and civil conflicts. This is compounded by the region's lack of food self-sufficiency and heavy dependence on imports. Arab countries also suffer from a large historical deficit in renewable fresh water. At the regional level, spending on social protection, health and the sustainable development goals in general was among the lowest in the world, making the Arab population less prepared to meet environmental challenges and achieve the set goals. On the other hand, higher income rates, in parallel with strengthening governance and directing investments towards selected priorities, have enabled some Arab countries to make tangible progress in development goals, including accelerating energy transition, greening programs and expanding nature reserves.

The energy crises, caused by the Ukrainian war and boosted by the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to energy facilities, have accelerated the global shift to locally produced renewable energy, to reduce dependence on external sources. This approach is expected to continue despite unilateral US policies, especially as China finds an opportunity to increase its investments to lead global renewable energy markets, as it successfully did during Trump's first term. Therefore, it is worth investing additional revenues to accelerate energy diversification and contribute to the progress of other sustainable development goals, such as eradicating hunger and poverty, agricultural research and development to achieve greater food security, and increase access to clean water and sanitation. On all fronts, from energy to food to water, there should be more regional cooperation to maintain economic, social and environmental health, especially in times of crisis and instability. With the need to expand the options for international cooperation to achieve Arab interests, it is particularly necessary to strengthen relations with the Mediterranean countries, with whom they share environmental as well as economic challenges.