Climate change is inflicting damaging losses in the Middle East and Central Asia (Meca) and a 1°C rise in temperature in five of the hottest regional countries translates to an immediate decline in per capita economic growth of around 2 percentage points.
Over the past three decades, temperatures in the region have risen by 1.5°C — twice the global increase of 0.7°C — which is particularly harmful for hotter countries including Bahrain, Djibouti, Mauritania, Qatar and the UAE, the International Monetary Fund said.
“According to our analysis, climate disasters in the [Meca] region reduce annual economic growth by 1 to 2 percentage points on a per capita basis,” Jihad Azour, IMF director for the Middle East and Central Asia Department and Christoph Duenwald, who co-ordinates the Washington-based fund's climate efforts in the region, said in a blog on Wednesday.
“These events are expected to become more common and more severe as the planet heats up.”
Poor and conflict-affected countries in the region have suffered the most from rising temperatures and extreme weather events. In any given year since 2000, climate disasters have killed more than 2,600 people, affected seven million others and caused $2 billion in direct material damage.
With temperatures still rising, adaptation of the right policies has become a pressing priority and underscores the need for international support to finance that adaptation, IMF officials said.
Nations across the globe are pushing to meet the 2015 Paris Agreement mandate to bring temperatures down to just 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally.
However, to cut greenhouse emissions by about 51 billion tonnes per year and meet carbon neutrality goals by the middle of the century, the world requires about $50 trillion in incremental investments.
In October, the IMF urged the $50tn global investment funds industry to step up efforts to finance the transition to a greener economy and help mitigate the effects of climate change.
The need for financing for poor and conflict-ravaged countries is far more pressing. Developed nations have agreed to generate $100bn in climate finance to assist poor countries each year — but have yet to deliver on that pledge.
Countries with low climate resilience, such as Afghanistan, Somalia, and Sudan, as well as Pakistan, a lower-middle income nation, have suffered intensely with more people being killed or affected by climate-related events.
“Tapping additional domestic revenue can play an important part in supporting spending on climate adaptation while reducing any increase in public debt. But countries also require greater international support to finance adaptation, ideally on concessional terms, as well as transfers of expertise and technology to develop their own capacity to adapt to climate change,” Mr Azour and Mr Duenwald said.
Between 2009 and 2019, bilateral and multilateral organisations provided about $70bn in climate finance to the Meca region. However, a large proportion was for “mitigation initiatives and only around a quarter solely for adaptation”.
“Estimated adaptation needs are much greater,” they said.
Most countries in the region now recognise climate adaptation as a pressing issue and have started to address climate challenges. However, priority should be given to measures that are “highly beneficial under all plausible climate-change scenarios” and building capacity to adapt to future climate challenges.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution, because each country faces its own set of challenges, but some common principles apply to the whole region,” IMF officials said.
The fund is supporting its member countries in their efforts with policy advice, capacity development and lending. Its proposed $50bn Resilience and Sustainability Trust will further support reforms that increase countries’ resilience to climate change, they said.
Gulf countries are already taking steps to tackle climate change.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE announced initiatives to reach net zero emissions by the middle of the century as part of their nationally determined contributions in line with the Paris Agreement.
The UAE, the first Arab nation to commit to achieving net zero, aims to reach that milestone by 2050. In line with its initiative to decarbonise, the Emirates plans to invest $160bn in clean and renewable energy sources in the next three decades.
Saudi Arabia aims to offset its domestic emissions by 2060, with the kingdom's state-owned energy company, Saudi Aramco, set to achieve net zero by 2050.
Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
The five pillars of Islam
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5.
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
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Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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14/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
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Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
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What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
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Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
