乐鱼 体育

Climate change can undermine stability in the Middle East and North Africa, where both the United States and Europe have critical foreign policy and security interests. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region 鈥渋s impacted by climate and resource scarcity risks now, in the medium, and in the long term,鈥� said Nick Mabey, director and chief executive of the environmental think tank , during a recent 乐鱼 体育 event on building climate resilience in MENA countries. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a region that is highly vulnerable to climate change,鈥� said Mabey, and 鈥渁lso incredibly vulnerable to global systems.鈥� 

Operating in a Climate-Changed World: Evolving Risks in the MENA Region

Climate impacts like  and 鈥攊n combination with , , and 鈥攑辞蝉别&苍产蝉辫; for countries in the MENA region. Climate-induced insecurities, for example, can increase susceptibility to price shocks and social stresses. 鈥淲e saw, in the , how  and changes in availability can very quickly lead to social instability,鈥� said Mabey. It鈥檚 likely that such shocks will happen again as climate impacts intensify, he said, which makes building social, economic, and physical resilience increasingly urgent in these areas.

 are a particularly challenging problem for MENA countries that rely on fossil fuel exports for income, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait. As a consequence of decarbonization policies, 鈥�,鈥� said Mabey. While these countries have significant opportunities to develop solar power technologies, diversifying will require  in countries where the political and economic systems revolve around fossil fuels, he said.

In pursuing transformative policies in MENA, we need 鈥渢o recognize that we are operating in a climate-changed world,鈥� said Sherri Goodman, a senior research fellow with the 乐鱼 体育. Goodman, also a former defense official, said that we need preventative defense measures that anticipate and mitigate exacerbated risks to avoid insecurity driven by . 鈥淭he transition to a more energy-secure and more diversified region, I think, is one of the most important ways that we can invest and seek advantages,鈥� she said.  Rather than focusing on the threats, this is an opportunity to 鈥渦se our climate awareness [and] our ability to innovate.鈥�

Engineering Resilience

Countries can鈥檛 鈥済row their way to resilience,鈥� said Mabey.  shows that the MENA region will need more than money to avoid . Instead, deliberate interventions can build stability and 鈥渋mprove resilience in a way we can observe,鈥� he said. The question is, 鈥渉ow do you deliver some of the clever ideas that are easy to come up with on paper, but quite hard to do in practice?鈥�

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is focusing on practical projects to enhance climate resilience in MENA, said Carlota Cenalmor, who is EIB鈥檚 deputy head of office and senior institutional advisor. For example,  which is , mobilizes financial support for projects that improve infrastructure, strengthen the private sector, encourage job growth, and address migration issues.

鈥淚n order to make a change in terms of climate鈥� the project cycle is crucial,鈥� said Cenalmor.  In addition to allocating funds, EIB works with engineers to offer in the design phase of the project. This way, EIB can mainstream climate concerns into project from the beginning while also incorporating local insights. EIB鈥檚 partners are 鈥渙n the ground talking to the governments, talking to the people there, talking to the NGOs, talking to everyone, to make sure we are getting to where the needs are,鈥� said Cenalmor. The goal is to 鈥済et the money going in the right direction.鈥�

A Transatlantic Dialogue: Diplomacy and Resiliency

Europe and the United States share vital interests in stabilizing the MENA region; they both want to mitigate cross-border migration and avoid the economic and social  that may lead to 

Since the first Persian Gulf War, Europe and the United States have significantly expanded their military presences in the region. However, going forward,  tools could become more essential for building economic, environmental, and social resilience that prevents insecurity, said Goodman. We should aim to strengthen transatlantic institutions that can generate  across MENA communities, she said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not all about hard power.鈥�

It makes sense for the United States and Europe to combine resources to fulfill their common interests, said Mabey, calling for more dialogue between the United States and the European Union on climate resilience in the MENA region. The forum should be similar in sophistication and commitment to the current joint efforts to tackle extremism in the area, he said: 鈥淪hared alignment of approach and analysis needs to be the seed of how we move forward.鈥�

Sources: Bloomberg, E3G, The European Investment Bank

Photo Credit: , courtesy of the World Bank.

Written by Julianne Liebenguth, edited by Meaghan Parker 

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Organized in cooperation with E3G.