Chapter 3: Outlooks and Emerging Issues
3.4 Emerging issues
Emerging issues is about anticipating scenarios which are not a current trend but probable events and outcomes that might determine the status of the environmental agenda of the region.
3.4.1 Extreme events and natural disasters
Recent natural disasters in West Asia indicate that countries of the region are not well prepared to mitigate and respond to these events. The flooding in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in November 2009 resulted in more than 150 fatalities and significant economic damage. Although the episode was triggered by an unprecedented downpour over a very short period, the inadequacy of drainage systems and poor emergency preparedness contributed significantly to the number of fatalities and the amount of damage (Assaf 2010).
3.4.2 Increased coastal urbanization
The extensive coasts of West Asia have been open to global trade throughout history, encouraging the growth of urban centres on the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the GCC sub region. However, these urban communities have grown considerably over the past few decades, particularly in the ROPME Sea Area5
through which a significant share of the
world’s oil passes. In the UAE, artificial islands have been built to accommodate an exponential growth in real estate that only slowed in 2008 following the global recession. However, coastal development is projected to continue over the coming decades. This coastal urbanization process has adversely affected the marine environment due to the release of wastewater and brine from desalination plants, as well as debris from construction sites. The deterioration of the marine environment is expected to continue unless measures are taken to control this development and its impacts. This includes eliminating the release of untreated waste – both liquid and solid – into the marine environment
5 ROPME Sea Area (referred to as the Kuwait Action Plan Region in the past) is the sea area surrounded by the eight Member States of ROPME: Bahrain, I.R. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
and developing a sustainable management approach to coastal development.
3.4.3 Proliferation of invasive species
Several countries in West Asia are witnessing uncontrolled growth in populations of invasive alien species. For example, the mesquite tree Prosopisjuliflora, native to South and Central America, has spread throughout Oman where it is known as Ghafbahri. In addition to causing sickness in grazing animals, the tree is known to transfer toxic chemicals into soil that hamper the growth of other plants including trees (Oman Coast 2015).
3.5 Sustainability pathways
This section explores sustainability challenges in the context of the SDGs and their targets, highlighting those identified by the West Asia region as pertinent to their own conditions and requirements, and matching them to the five broad environmental themes addressed in this report.
3.5.1 Sustainable Development Goals and targets
The SDGs are major constituents of the future environmental setting at the global level. West Asia is no exception and it needs to clarify how future planning regarding the SDGs should unfold. Bahrain, Jordan through its 2025 vision, Qatar in its 2030 vision and UAE in its vision 2021 have taken steps towards integrating the principles and objectives of the SDGs into their national development plans and strategies. Saudi Arabia has also considered achieving the SDGs in its 10th development plan.
The SDGs represent a major departure from their predecessors the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in that they expand the spectrum of main issues to those reflecting the priorities of developing countries. The SDGs, however, have 17 Goals and 169 targets, thus running the risk of splintering the focus on critical issues that pertain to a specific country or region. And there is also the formidable task of devising methods of measuring progress on these
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