The MENA Region Is Headed for More Insecurity Due to Climate Change. Can This Be Mitigated?

Jan 8, 2024 | Kyungmee Kim and Tània Ferré Garcia
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The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, home to widely diverse cultures and a population of  about 500 million, is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change. While high temperatures are common there, nearly half of the population could be annually exposed to anomalous super and ultra-extreme heatwaves—up to 56 °C and higher during several weeks—by the end of the century. Recent climate science predicts an average temperature increase of up to 4 °C by 2050 for the region in a business-as-usual scenario. The region has also undergone rapid environmental degradation during the past few decades. Over 82 percent of its terrain is desert, and rising temperatures are poised to accelerate desertification rates in dry-land areas.