Climate change is a long-term global problem, involving interactions between environmental factors and economic, political, institutional, social and technological conditions. It is already a reality, and there is a global consensus that the climate is changing because of emissions, and there are indications of this change at the international and regional levels. Despite the low contribution of the United Arab Emirates to greenhouse gas emissions, the region faces issues concerning the socio-economic structure, natural resources and the dependence of many countries on resources. Similarly, the negative impacts on sustainable development, economic and social development present new challenges to the set of challenges facing the UAE in its pursuit of the development goals. In that regard, the role of international relations as identified in this thesis, is finding guidelines that the UAE can use to manage the effects of climate change as a signatory to agreements such as Kyoto Protocol. It has been observed that the UAE has taken an active role in managing climate change. That includes enforcing regulations from international bodies such as GCC to minimise carbon emissions. For instance, the UAE topped the OECD list as the largest donor of official development assistance. Significantly, the study used a qualitative research methodology to investigate the levels of people awareness to climate change. It was determined that the awareness levels are slightly higher in less populous cities such as Ras Alkhaima. Hence, it was proposed that an effective means of increasing mass awareness in through the implementation of educational programs. In that regard, this study is significant because it demonstrates that countries can commit to managing the effects of climate change through international relations.

In the Arab countries, climate change is a risk to poverty reduction and economic growth, threatening to unravel many of the development gains that have been achieved. The Arab Region is already suffering adverse consequences from climate variability and change. This book provides information on climate change and its impact in the Arab Region, as well as technical guidance on climate adaptation options for policy makers. The areas addressed include the economic impacts of climate change (as measured by the reduction in household income and GDP); the impacts of climate change on the water, health, and tourism sectors; livelihoods and well-being in rural and urban areas; biodiversity; disaster risk management; as well as gender and other social relations. The report is written through a participatory and collaborative process, led by the World Bank in partnership with the League of Arab States, incorporating both regional and international experts on the topics.

This book takes both a global as well as a local perspective in assessing the impacts of climate change on the economy, agricultural sector, and households in three of the MENA countries; Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. The major channels of impact for global climate change are through changing world food (and energy) prices, especially since all the countries under analysis are or have become net importers of oil and petroleum products and many food commodities in recent years. The impacts of local climate change decrease crop yields in the longer run and through them, productivity in the agricultural sector and all the implications this may have on both, the livelihoods of those dependent on the sector as well as the rest of the economy. The analysis also covered what happens when both global and local climate changes work simultaneously for each country. Findings show that in all three countries the effects of climate change are negative for people and the economy—GDP falls and livelihoods suffer. Furthermore, the prevalence of extreme variations in climate—such as the droughts affecting Syria and the floods impacting Yemen—draws attention to the potentially significant drawbacks that are likely to not only affect any strides towards economic growth and development, but may also reverse such strides if appropriate policies are not in place to weather this storm. The analyses in this book apply CGE models.

In light of the radical transformations and changes that the world witnesses on all levels, research in the field of social issues is gaining increased prominence, particularly amid different sources of danger that threaten social security in countries, primarily due changes in the nature of warfare and conflicts, the spread of extremism and terrorism, and the emergence of religious, sectarian, doctrinal, and racial tensions. Moreover, the unprecedented technological transformations in light of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) with its social effects can compromise the stability and security of societies. Therefore, in this book I focus on studying UAE society in an ever-changing world from a comprehensive perspective that encompasses political, security, economic, social, cultural, and technological aspects. From an early stage in my academic career, I have given special attention – in my books, research papers, and studies – to issues of national security, at the forefront of which is social security. This stems from my belief that social security is one of the most important and critical aspects of national security in its comprehensive sense. Furthermore, social security is also closely associated with all other political, economic, cultural, and stability aspects of national security. This book includes seven chapters along with an introduction and a conclusion. Chapter One deals with the experience of the Union of the UAE and how it has affected UAE society. Chapter Two deals with UAE society in a changing regional and international environment. Chapter Three examines the UAE’s economic vision to prepare for the post-oil era, which is based primarily on knowledge and innovation. Chapter Four addresses education and its importance in building national human capacities and resources. Chapter Five discusses national identity, its significance, and sources of threat. Chapter Six examines balanced political development and the guarantee it gives to enable political stability in the UAE. The last chapter, Chapter Seven, discusses UAE society and global technological changes in terms of challenges and opportunities. The book ends with a conclusion in which I call for more attention to studies pertaining to UAE society in the coming years because the current changes in the local, regional, and global environments have several implications for this society. Therefore, it is important to study these implications and anticipate their future trajectories.

United Arab Emirates: Selected Issues

Climate Change and Cities bridges science-to-action for climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in cities around the world.

This Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report (IPCC-SRREN) assesses the potential role of renewable energy in the mitigation of climate change. It covers the six most important renewable energy sources - bioenergy, solar, geothermal, hydropower, ocean and wind energy - as well as their integration into present and future energy systems. It considers the environmental and social consequences associated with the deployment of these technologies, and presents strategies to overcome technical as well as non-technical obstacles to their application and diffusion. SRREN brings a broad spectrum of technology-specific experts together with scientists studying energy systems as a whole. Prepared following strict IPCC procedures, it presents an impartial assessment of the current state of knowledge: it is policy relevant but not policy prescriptive. SRREN is an invaluable assessment of the potential role of renewable energy for the mitigation of climate change for policymakers, the private sector, and academic researchers.