Category Archives: Climate Change

How Climate Change is Impacting the MENA Countries

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The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is known for being one of the hottest places on Earth, and highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. In an IPCC special report on regional climate change, models projected that average temperatures in the region will increase by 1-2˚C by 2030-2050. Decision makers and citizens in all 21 countries realize that they are faced with an immediate need to reshape energy, agriculture, water and environmental policy to adapt to changing climate conditions. Steep Rise in Temperature Satellite data provided by Climate Engine from 1979 to present shows the mean max (average maximum) temperatures … Continue reading →

تونس: التهديد المناخي على الأبواب

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ألقت التغيرات المناخية بظلالها على تونس التي تعرف منذ منتصف شهر يونيو موجة حر غير مسبوقة وصلت خلالها درجات الحرارة إلى مستويات قياسية. تبدو ولاية تطاوين في أقصى الجنوب إحدى أكثر المناطق تضررا من ارتفاع  معدلات الحرارة، إذ تصل نسبة الصحراء فيها إلى أكثر من تسعين بالمائة وتتميز بمناخ قاحل يكاد أن يكون الغطاء النباتي فيها معدوماً، باستثناء بعض النباتات الصحراوية القليلة مثل النباتات التي تنتمي لعائلة الصباريات، والشيح، والقيصوم، وبعض النباتات الحوليّة الصحراوية  وهو ما يجعل تأثير الحرارة في هذه المنطقة الجافة أشد وطأة . في هذا الإطار، نشرت جمعية حماية البيئة بذهيبة صورا مفزعة لنفوق عدد من الغزلان … Continue reading →

The Blue Belt Initiative: Promising Ambition To Transform Challenges Into Opportunities That Protect The Oceans

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It is good for the African continent to wrap itself with the belt of sustainability and the protection of marine biodiversity. What’s even better is for the ‘Blue Belt Initiative’ to launch from the furthest northwest point of the African continent (Marrakech, Morocco), a Mediterranean and African region, and in a global forum where the international community discusses a crucial issue for our planet’s security, the issue of climate. The “Blue Belt Initiative” started during the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP22), hosted by Morocco in 2016. The initiative serves as an international … Continue reading →

Storm Alexa – Positive Aspects for MENA

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The year 2013 saw history being made when Storm Alexa swept across the Middle East and North Africa bringing blizzards, torrential rain and icy winds to a region that hasn’t experienced such a storm in over 100 years. Storm Alexa caused devastating floods in Arab cities, such as Gaza, and power cuts in certain areas of Jordan. Heavy snowfall in Jordan covered the streets, hindering mobility and forcing people into their homes for several days. The storm has also brought hardship and misery upon the Syrian refugees enduring the bitter cold in fragile tents and makeshift shelters. Positive Aspects However, … Continue reading →

Green Sukuk: A Shariah-Compliant Green Financing Instrument

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Is it possible to sustain eco-friendly projects without incurring the violation of shari’ah principles of Islamic finance? The answer is positive, and the sustainable instrument which allows to do it is the green sukuk. Sukuk is the plural form of the Arabic word “sakk”. Since the Umayyad period, the sakk represented a payment tool to remunerate state-salaried officials as military forces and government bureaucrats. It functioned as a trustee certificate that entitled the holders to redeem a specific and determined-in-advance number of commodities from the state treasury at a precise time.[1] In its contemporary meaning, according to the Accounting and … Continue reading →

Water Scarcity in MENA

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The MENA region is the most water scarce region of the world. The region is home to 6.3 percent of world’s population but has access to measly 1.4 percent of the world’s renewable fresh water. The average water availability per person in other geographical regions is about 7,000 m3/year, whereas water availability is merely 1,200 m3/person/year in the MENA region. The region has the highest per capita rates of freshwater extraction in the world (804 m3/year) and currently exploits over 75 percent of its renewable water resources. Due to burgeoning population and rapid economic growth, the per capita water availability … Continue reading →

Climate Change Mitigation in Tunisia: Challenges and Progress

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Climate change has become a reality in Tunisia, which is struggling to cope with the problems of desertification, water scarcity and the degradation of natural resources. Despite its limited carbon footprint, the risks of climate change may be high. The fourth Arab country to have published its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, Tunisia has put climate change on the top of its political and economic agenda. It is also the first country in the region to include in its new Constitution recognition of climate change: “A sound and balanced environment while contributing to … Continue reading →

The Islamic Discourse on Climate Change

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Global ecological trends show that we face the risk of tipping points and irreversible changes in the environment and in its capacity to support and sustain human life in all its dimensions.  This state of imbalance and pollution is referred to as “fassad” in Islam which is attributed to human-made actions. Transforming society and the world’s economy to a sustainable basis presents the most significant challenge to the 21st century. It is inspiring to harness local knowledge and culture to inform sustainability. Islam as a worldview and a way of life can provide a fresh outlook to human-environmental in a … Continue reading →

All You Need to Know About Ocean Acidification and its Impacts

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The relentless rise in the percentage of atmospheric carbon dioxide since the Industrial Revolution is a well-known fact. Carbon dioxide is considered as one of the key players among the greenhouse gases that has contributed the most towards global warming, the current hot topic among environmentalists, scientists and even politicians. Another key issue is increasing being discussed nowadays is Ocean Acidification. Ocean acidification is an ongoing change in the chemistry of the ocean caused primarily by the ocean’s absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. What is Ocean Acidification Around 1/4th of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere via … Continue reading →

مكافحة تغير المناخ: كيف يمكنك المساعدة؟

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بعد استغلال موارد الأرض واستنزافها لمئات السنين، أصبحنا الآن في مواجهة الواقع الصعب والقاسي المتمثل في تغير المناخ.  بدأت درجة حرارة كوكب الأرض في الارتفاع ببطء، الأمر الذي أدى إلى المزيد من حالات الطقس المتقلبة الى جانب ان العقد الماضي هو الأشد حرارة على الإطلاق. لقد حان وقت العمل الآن.  لقد حاول فنانين اثنين أن ينقلا إلى الناس مدى أهمية وعجلة هذه الرسالة من خلال انشاء  “ساعة المناخ”  في ميدان يونيون في مانهاتن.  يحذر هذا العد التنازلي من أنه إذا لم تتراجع الانبعاثات الحالية من الغازات المسببة للانحباس الحراري العالمي قبل الموعد النهائي فإن الضرر الحاصل سوف يكون لا رجعة … Continue reading →

وعي المواطن ومسؤوليته تجاه تحدي تغير المناخ

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لئن تتحمل الدول النامية، ومن بينها تونس، المسؤولية الأقل في انبعاثات غازات الدفيئة المسببة للاحتباس الحراري والتغير المناخي، فهي تتحمل الآثار السلبية الأكبر لهذه الظاهرة العالمية، خاصة مع الصعوبات الكثيرة التي تواجهها في التخفيف منها والتكيف معها. فتطوير المشاريع التي يمكن أن تحد من آثار تغير المناخ، وإيصالها إلى وجهتها المنشودة يتطلب الكثير من المال والقدرات، وهو أبرز تحدي يواجه تونس في هذا المجال. البحث عن التمويل لمجابهة خطر التغيرات المناخية شرعت البلاد التونسية، في هذا الإطار، في إحداث هيئة وطنية معتمدة لدى الصندوق الأخضر تعمل على الإحاطة بحاملي المشاريع المتعلقة بمجال التأقلم مع التغير المناخي والحد من آثاره السلبية … Continue reading →

EcoMENA – Vision and Mission

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The MENA region is plagued by a host of issues including water scarcity, waste disposal, food security, industrial pollution and desertification. Providing free access to quality information and knowledge-based resources motivates youngsters in a big way. EcoMENA provides encouragement to masses in tackling major environmental challenges by empowering them with knowledge and by providing them a solid platform to share their views with the outside world. Salman Zafar, Founder of EcoMENA, talks to the Florentine Association of International Relations (FAIR) about the vision, aims, objectives and rationale behind the creation of EcoMENA.  FAIR: What is EcoMENA and what is its primary … Continue reading →