Sea Level Rise and the National Security Challenge of Sustainable Urban Adaptation in Doha and Other Arab Coastal Cities

Abstract

The warming of the global ocean and the melting of ice caps have been continuously and increasingly rapidly driving the phenomenon of sea level rise (SLR) over the past century, threatening the safety and standards of living of the world's 800 million inhabitants of coastal cities. Despite renewed commitments to fight the causes of climate change during the COP26 climate negotiations in Glasgow, the current policies of the world's largest polluting countries still put humanity on a dangerous path toward high levels of global warming and SLR for the decades and centuries to come. Based on the latest scientific publications, including the IPCC's Assessment Report 6, this chapter sheds light on how this phenomenon is expected to affect in a multi-dimensional manner the safety and standards of living of coastal city inhabitants across the Arab region, and especially in the Arabian Gulf sub-region, in the decades and centuries to come. Studying the case of Doha, we highlight several policy challenges and opportunities that could influence the hazards as well as the levels of vulnerability and exposure to which individual Arab coastal cities are exposed to. The authors conclude that collectively fighting the causes of climate change, better planning urban and coastal development, as well as innovating for the climate adaptation of Arab coastal cities should be understood by policymakers, the private sector, and populations alike as a national security challenge that requires urgent individual and collective action.

Exploring GIS Techniques in Sea Level Change Studies: A Comprehensive Review

“…For example, a cyclone or hurricane in the Arabian Sea can bring intense rainfall and storm surges, leading to temporary but significant increases in sea levels. An example is Cyclone Gonu in 2007, which caused coastal flooding in Oman and the UAE [72]. Moreover, rising sea levels intensify coastal erosion, particularly in Qatar, posing a significant threat to coastal infrastructure and property [72].…”

“…An example is Cyclone Gonu in 2007, which caused coastal flooding in Oman and the UAE [72]. Moreover, rising sea levels intensify coastal erosion, particularly in Qatar, posing a significant threat to coastal infrastructure and property [72]. These instances demonstrate the various ways in which rising temperatures and their consequences, including sea level rise, affect the GCC region, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring, adaptation, and mitigation measures.…”

İkli̇m Deği̇şi̇kli̇ği̇ Ve Körfez: Etki̇ler, Eylemler Ve Rekabet

“…Climate change is a crucial urban dimension in the Gulf. There is a critical need for city planning and urban governance in the region to address the threat of sea level rise in urban areas (Lambert and D'Alessandro, 2019). More than 80% of the population is urban.…”

Cascading climate risks and options for resilience and adaptation in the Middle East and North Africa

“…A think-tank Without restored vegetation, dust and sandstorms are likely to be even more frequent and more severe than in 2050. A contraction of the area cultivated in the MENA region will expose soils to wind erosion report notes that a 2-metre rise by 2100 would flood a large part of central Doha (Lambert and D'Alessandro 2019). While this is considered unlikely based on current trends, feedback loops, which could increase warming, mean that this 'cannot be ruled out' (Oppenheimer et al, 2019).…”

“…The various UN funding facilities aimed at assisting countries to adapt to climate change could be more widely tapped. One think tank report argues that Arab governments have underutilized these facilities (Lambert and D'Alessandro, 2019). While the language of adaptation and resilience to climate change is new in translation in the MENA, the concepts are ancient the UN launched a UN Coalition on Combatting Sand and Dust Storms, acknowledging the massive transboundary impacts on socio-economic well-being their increase will have.…”