Oxford contributes to World Bank report on climate change adaptation in Arab countries

Dr Rachael McDonnell provided input to a comprehensive World Bank report ‘Adaptation to a Changing Climate in the Arab Countries’, which was launched at the COP 18 climate change conference in Doha, Qatar. The report highlights the acute consequences of climate change in the Arab world and calls for urgent actions to reduce vulnerability.

McDonnell was lead author for the chapter ‘Agriculture, rural livelihoods, and food security are stressed in a changing climate’ and contributed to two further chapters on ‘Climate change contributes to water scarcity’, and ‘Implement policy responses to increase climate resilience’.

Challenges faced in the Arab world include worsening water scarcity, very low and variable rainfall, and excessive exposure to extreme events such as droughts and desertification. The report highlights the need for immediate responses to avert the anticipated consequences of rising food and water insecurity.

“Climate change is a reality for people in Arab countries,” said Inger Andersen, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa region. “It affects everyone – especially the poor who are least able to adapt – and as the climate becomes ever more extreme, so will its impacts on people’s livelihoods and wellbeing. The time to take actions at both the national and regional level in order to increase climate resilience is now.”

Through coordinated actions at multiple levels, the report concludes that the Arab world can successful adapt and adjust to the challenges of a changing climate, as it has done for centuries.

See the World Bank webpage for the full report, story highlights, press release, video blog, and other resources.