Health and ecological sustainability in the Arab world: a matter of survival

Abstract

Discussions leading to the Rio+20 UN conference have emphasised the importance of sustainable development and the protection of the environment for future generations. The Arab world faces large-scale threats to its sustainable development and, most of all, to the viability and existence of the ecological systems for its human settlements. The dynamics of population change, ecological degradation, and resource scarcity, and development policies and practices, all occurring in complex and highly unstable geopolitical and economic environments, are fostering the poor prospects. In this report, we discuss the most pertinent population–environment–development dynamics in the Arab world, and the two-way interactions between these dynamics and health, on the basis of current data. We draw attention to trends that are relevant to health professionals and researchers, but emphasise that the dynamics generating these trends have implications that go well beyond health. We argue that the current discourse on health, population, and development in the Arab world has largely failed to convey a sense of urgency, when the survival of whole communities is at stake. The dismal ecological and development records of Arab countries over the past two decades call for new directions. We suggest that regional ecological integration around exchange of water, energy, food, and labour, though politically difficult to achieve, offers the best hope to improve the adaptive capacity of individual Arab nations. The transformative political changes taking place in the Arab world offer promise, indeed an imperative, for such renewal. We call on policy makers, researchers, practitioners, and international agencies to emphasise the urgency and take action.

Schools of public health in low and middle-income countries: an imperative investment for improving the health of populations?

“…In Syria for example, additional to conflict-driven displacement, thousands of rural Syrians employed in the agricultural sector were forced to migrate to cities in 2006 when a persistent drought coupled with ineffective environmental policies compromised their livelihood [24]. As of January 2016, over 4.5 million registered Syrian refugees have been displaced by conflict, fleeing to neighboring countries of Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan [36].…”

A bibliometric-based evaluation on environmental research in the Arab world

“…These impacts threaten to counter the gains of this region that have been achieved over the past few decades in human and economic developments (El-Zein et al 2014;The World Bank 2010).…”

Governance and health in the Arab world

“…The history of external forces in the region, war, conflict, and the long-term effects of oil dependence and resulting deterioration of environments and lifestyle are discussed in greater detail in other papers in this Series. 2,5 …”

“…Dewachi and colleagues 5 conclude that nations must be held accountable to their citizens to avoid the militarisation of health care. This message of trust through accountability is reinforced by El-Zein and colleagues 2 in arguing that Arab governments must not view their rich natural resources as exclusive assets for a privileged class, but as ecological and cultural assets for this and future generations. In each paper in this Series, methods for improved accountability are regarded as essential to the health transformation of the Arab world.…”

“…Across the Arab world, political systems are often dominated by elites and do not have ways to address the population’s broader concerns, showing the neglect of operative methods for accountability. Additionally, as discussed in other papers in this Series, 2,5 many states in the Arab world have abandoned or disregarded contracts of trust with their citizens, through neglect of public services and segments of the population, or the use of violence against their own populations. Another distinguishing feature is the extent of external intervention in the form of colonialism, economic sanctions, foreign aid, military assistance, and military conflict that have contributed to, but do not fully explain, the failure to establish accountable and inclusive political systems in the Arab world.…”