Exploring the feasibility of the Jordan-Israel energy and water deal
On Nov. 22, the Dubai Expo hosted an event where the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, and Israel signed a cooperation agreement that would broker an exchange of renewable energy and water between Jordan and Israel. The signing of the agreement between the respective minsters of the three countries took place in the presence of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, who played a role in getting the deal done.
The existential challenge of Jordan’s unquenchable thirst
Jordan is facing an existential challenge and it has nothing to do with the deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the war in neighboring Syria, or the threat of militant Islamists. The challenge is climate change, which is responsible for poor rainy seasons over the past few years. The situation has become so bad that in the past few weeks the government admitted that six of the kingdom’s 14 active dams have now completely dried up, exacerbating endemic shortages of water used for drinking, irrigation, and industry.
Observing COP26
Mohammed Mahmoud, director of MEI’s Climate and Water Program, and Abbey Krulik, who attended the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, as an observer, discuss takeaways from the conference and the Glasgow Pact that was signed there.
Monday Briefing: Last-minute deal pushed through at the conclusion of COP26, but was it enough?
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
Cop26 ينطلق في غلاسكو
من 31 أكتوبر/تشرين الأول إلى 12 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني، يجتمع عشرات الآلاف من قادة العالم والمفاوضين والعلماء ورجال الأعمال والنشطاء والمراقبين في غلاسكو باسكتلندا لحضور مؤتمر الأمم المتحدة السادس والعشرين لتغير المناخ. تُعرف هذه الهيئة المميزة أيضًا باسم مؤتمر الأطراف (COP)، وهي تجتمع سنويًا لاتخاذ قرارات بشأن تنفيذ اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة الإطارية بشأن تغير المناخ (UNFCCC).
Monday Briefing: COP26 kicks off in Glasgow
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
التطلع إلى COP26: كيف يمكن للتطورات الأخيرة أن تصيغ اجتماع هذا العام
في الأسبوع المقبل، سيجتمع عشرات الآلاف من قادة العالم والمفاوضين والعلماء ورجال الأعمال والنشطاء والمراقبين من جميع أنحاء العالم في غلاسكو بإسكتلندا لحضور مؤتمر الأمم المتحدة السادس والعشرين لتغير المناخ، والذي سيستمر في الفترة من 31 أكتوبر/تشرين الأول إلى 12 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني. المؤتمر المعروف أيضًا باسم مؤتمر الأطراف (COP)، تجتمع فيه هذه الهيئة المتميزة سنويًا لاتخاذ قرارات بشأن تنفيذ اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة الإطارية بشأن تغير المناخ (UNFCCC)، والتي تهدف إلى “منع تدخل الأنشطة البشرية في النظام المناخي”.
Expert Views: What should be the key outcomes from COP26?
As the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) kicks off in Glasgow, climate change is front and center on the global agenda. Few regions of the world have more at stake than the Middle East and North Africa, given the current environmental and sustainability challenges and potential future scenarios. Experts from across MEI weigh in with their thoughts on what should be the key outcomes from COP26.
Looking ahead to COP26: How recent developments could shape this year’s meeting
Next week, tens of thousands of world leaders, negotiators, scientists, business executives, activists, and observers from all over will gather in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12. Also known as the Conference of the Parties (COP), this distinguished body meets annually to make decisions regarding the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which aims to “prevent anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”
Turkey finally ratified the Paris Agreement. Why now?
Turkey, like many countries worldwide, has recently faced severe environmental events. Suffering from floods and the worst wildfires in its history in the summer of 2021, the country finally took an important step to tackle climate change, ratifying the Paris Agreement international treaty on climate change on Oct. 6, 2021.
The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on Climate Change and what it means for the Middle East
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their Sixth Assessment Report on the Physical Science Basis of Climate Change in August of this year. This report brings together the latest advances in climate science, observations, paleoclimatology, and climate simulations to provide the most up-to-date physical science understanding of climate change. The report also describes the anthropogenic influence on the current state of climate and how future climate can distinctly affect different regions across the world.
Extreme Heat: The Urgent Climate Impact
The most immediate threat posed by climate change to the Middle East, one that will be in the forefront of climate adaptation efforts within the next five years, is extreme heat. Average global temperatures have been projected to increase up to 1.5°C by 2030.
Weekly Briefing: Lebanon’s power grid shuts down
Expert regional analysis by MEI scholars and contributors.
Cyclone Shaheen: A reminder of the Arabian Peninsula’s vulnerability to extreme weather events
On Oct. 3 Cyclone Shaheen made landfall in Oman, near Muscat, after traveling through the Gulf of Oman from the Arabian Sea. According to the India Meteorological Department, which monitors and tracks the formation of cyclones in the North Indian Ocean, Cyclone Shaheen was categorized as a severe cyclonic storm when it made landfall with sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. Its arrival brought on heavy rainfall and excessive flooding in the many valleys that are a natural part of Oman’s topography. The high winds of the cyclone generated massive storm surges along the coast and caused serious damage to infrastructure and homes, displacing many.