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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20121203T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20121203T180000
DTSTAMP:20260612T012044
CREATED:20141026T143934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T104648Z
UID:10001018-1354521600-1354557600@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:CIRS and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs Discuss Climate Change in the Arab World
DESCRIPTION:The Center for International and Regional Studies and the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy ‎and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut\, held a Panel discussion on “Who or What ‎Drives Climate Change Policy in the Arab World?” on December 3\, 2012. The panel featured ‎Karim Makdisi from the American University of Beirut; Roula Majdalani from the United ‎Nations’ Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; Lama El Hatow from IndyACT-‎The League of Independent Activists; and Rabi Mohtar from the Qatar Energy and Environment ‎Research Institute (QEERI).‎ \n \n \nThe panel moderator\, Karim Makdisi\, posed the question “who or what drives climate change ‎policy in the Arab World?” to the speakers and the audience. He argued that there needs to be an ‎examination of the drivers behind a reinvigorated interest in climate change among Arab ‎governments. In answer to this question\, the first speaker\, Roula Majdalani\, advocated for the ‎state as the most important player in any climate change related issue. However\, Majdalani said ‎that it was necessary to unpack the idea of the state and question who or what it represents. This\, ‎she said\, is especially relevant in the context of the Arab uprisings and “the dismantling of the ‎security apparatus.” The dissolution of various regional regimes does not necessarily mean that ‎the state per se has disappeared\, but that there are new dynamics taking shape at the level of ‎governance\, and this reformation is something that is new to many Arab countries.‎ \n \n \nThe state\, Majdalani said\, plays a strategic role in climate change issues in its “ability for working ‎through complex governance structures\, working at an inter-ministerial level\, working with a long ‎range perspective\, and working on issues that are transboundary\, and in that sense the state really ‎is a key interlocutor in this process of negotiation.” It is also the main player in mobilizing ‎financing and ensuring the transfer of technology at the domestic and international levels.‎ \n \n \nThe state has the main responsibility of addressing issues related to extreme climactic conditions ‎such as droughts and floods. It is\, therefore\, in the state’s interest to take a leading role in driving ‎climate change policy\, especially in the countries of the Arab World where issues of water and ‎energy are paramount. The state is also responsible for safeguarding\, preserving\, and exploiting ‎natural resources without adversely affecting neighboring countries. Carbon emissions are ‎necessarily transboundary\, and so the state must negotiate with its neighbors and\, indeed\, with ‎the international community for international climate related agreements.‎ \n \n \nIn conclusion\, Majdalani argued that the increasing interest in issues of climate change among ‎Arab nations provides a unique opportunity to reinvent the idea of the state as an entity that is ‎accountable\, transparent\, and responsible. ‎Traditionally\, some Arab states have been strong in terms of forcefulness and authoritarianism\, ‎but are weak when it comes to the will and capacity to tackle such irreversible environmental issues. ‎ \n \n \nRabi Mohtar was the second speaker on the panel and he highlighted the crucial role of science\, ‎research\, and development in addressing climate change concerns. He argued that climate change ‎discourse is dominated by the key words of “adaptation” and “mitigation\,” but that there needs ‎to be more critical investigation into exactly what it is that should be adapted or mitigated. ‎Current climate change data states that\, on a global level\, “the extremes in terms of climate are ‎getting hotter\, but that doesn’t tell us where and how.” Further complicating the discourse\, the ‎scientific knowledge on climate change is still in a nascent phase and much of the data is ‎contradictory and inaccurate. Mohtar argued that there is urgent need to invest in research and ‎development. QEERI\, he said\, is taking the lead on many such research initiatives in the region ‎and “embarking on an initial study that looks into the effects of climate change on dust and dust ‎storms.”‎ \n \n \nIt is befitting that Qatar hosted the COP 18 conference\, Mohtar said\, since it is the Middle East ‎and the Arab World that are most affected by issues of increased population growth and the ‎concomitant stresses on food\, water\, and energy. The Middle East “is where the highest per ‎capita consumption of water and energy are taking place” and where food security is becoming ‎an increasing concern. “There is no single country in the whole region that is self-sufficient\,” in ‎terms of food\, and so “the food-water nexus is an extreme driver for climate change research that ‎we should be focusing on.” This includes investigating efforts to reintroduce dry land agriculture ‎that had been traditionally used in the countries of the Middle East since ancient times. Mohtar ‎conclude by saying that there is a significant need for a climate change model that is locally ‎developed for the region – one that is specifically designed for arid and semi-arid regions. ‎ \n \n \nThe final speaker on the panel was Lama El Hatow who rallied for the importance of civil society ‎in climate change issues. She argued for “the role that civil society can also play by affecting and ‎influencing climate change policy in this part of the world.” El Hatow explained that civil society ‎in many countries of Arab World has been either dormant or non-existent. This was largely due ‎to “the oppressive nature of many Arab governments and the way that many social structures ‎function” in some Arab states. Since the regional uprisings\, however\, this scene has changed ‎dramatically and a space has been opened for civil society organizations to operate openly and ‎effectively. These new formations are increasingly made up of youth groups who are advocating ‎for a variety of issues and\, more importantly\, people are speaking out on all issues related to ‎human rights.‎ \n \n \nSince climate change issues are transboundary and of global concern\, Arab civil society ‎organizations are teaming up with their international counterparts and pressing their governments ‎on unified issues. Although many of these groups have limited capacity\, their passion for the ‎issues has made a significant difference. As a final thought\, El Hatow said that although many ‎regional and international governments have made great strides in addressing issues of climate ‎change\, civil society organizations are still needed as they act as a monitoring force and a constant ‎voice that prompts governments into further action. ‎   \n \n \nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, Manager and Editor for CIRS Publications \n \n \nSpeaker Biographies:‎ \n \n \nKarim Makdisi is an Associate Professor of International Politics and International ‎Environmental Policy in the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration at the ‎American University of Beirut (AUB). He is also the Associate Director of AUB’s Issam Fares ‎Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs\, and coordinates the Environmental Policy ‎component of AUB’s Interfaculty Graduate Environmental Science Program.‎ \n \n \nRoula Majdalani holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Syracuse ‎University. She worked with Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (London)\, from 1985 to 1988 as an ‎Urban Planner preparing surveys\, sectoral studies and research activities for urban development ‎projects in Saudi Arabia\, Kuwait\, Bahrain\, Jordan and Morocco.‎ \n \n \nRabi Mohtar founded the Global Engineering Program at Purdue University where he was a ‎Professor of Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering since 1996. His professional ‎activities addressed the important issues of Water – Energy Food nexus and its inter-linkages; ‎more specifically in developing and maintaining the environmental aspects of sustainable ‎development.‎
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/cirs-and-issam-fares-institute-public-policy-and-international-affairs-discuss/
CATEGORIES:American Studies,Panels,Regional Studies
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