A Step Away From The Disaster
The Arab World has been witnessing an increasing number of greenhouse gas emissions (Figure-1), and we are not doing anything about it.
Figure-1
A result of This increase is the climate change which is manifested in the record-breaking temperatures witnessed in summer 2021 in several countries within the Arab World, such as, in Iraq, Kuwait, KSA and even Lebanon. High temperatures mean endangering our food security as with the high temperatures the yields of major crops are reduced, their nutritional value also, this means less supply and higher food prices.
The solution is already available, it is solar energy, as 80% of the land in the region is covered by deserts, making use of it will of course decrease the dependency on fossil fuels and that would be the first step toward tackling climate change in the region.
This solution is already being implemented by other countries, for example, the European union, and data show (Figure-2) that the total number of greenhouse gas emissions has been decreasing for them and this is associated with an increase in the proportion of their electricity output that is generated by renewable energy.
Figure-2
Finally, it is worth mentioning that for some of the European countries who are depending more on renewable energy are investing in north-African deserts such as in Algeria and Tunisia, so this is a proof that we already have significant exposure to solar radiation and enough land area, and these resources, if used correctly can make an impact in addressing the problem of climate change.