Chapter 3: Outlooks and Emerging Issues
water-related ecosystems such as forests in Lebanon, Syria and Oman, mountains in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, wetlands in Iraq and the UAE and rivers in OPT, Jordan, Syria and Iraq that are essential for the mitigation of water scarcity. Also through international and regional cooperation, West Asian countries are encouraging cooperation in transboundary water resource management. Countries continue their policies to encourage investment in projects, and water systems are being managed under a system of governance and coordination to ensure their sustainability and integrity. The availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation are achieved through a reduction in pollution and elimination of dumping as well as minimisation of hazardous chemicals and materials. Implementing the circular economy and resource efficiency has increased the recycling and safe reuse of wastewater, increased water-use efficiency and reduced water scarcity throughout the region.
3.7.3 Green affordable energy
West Asian countries continue to decrease their reliance on fossil fuels as the main source of energy, having managed to secure affordable and renewable energy sources for their citizens. Effective laws and regulations are enacted to encourage active participation of the private sector in the energy sector. Moreover, there is a notable improvement in energy efficiency by using new technologies to meet the increasing development ambitions and energy demand in the region. The share of renewable energies in the total energy mix has increased significantly making it possible for West Asia countries to meet their international obligations with respect to greenhouse gas emissions targets. The water, food and energy nexus in the Mashriq countries and Yemen is now well balanced as the integrated environmental management of its components is applied.
3.7.4 Responsible consumption and production
Regional and national policies have been designated for the promotion of resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure and access to basic environmental services, green jobs and an enhanced quality of life for all citizens of the
region. Jordan has adopted and implemented its strategies on a green economy and solid waste management. The UAE has also implemented its Green Growth and Innovation Strategy to increase the use of clean energy. Other GCC countries are diversifying their economic activities. The Mashriq countries, through cooperation between various actors operating in the supply chain, are reducing resource use, environmental degradation and industrial pollution, resulting in improved quality of life. Countries have managed to use their natural resources efficiently. The GCC countries, which used to have among the highest ecological footprints in the world, are now categorised among the non-ecological deficit countries. Yemen and the OPT continue to have some of the world’s smallest footprints, achieved by reducing food losses, applying environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes, and promoting public procurement practices. The West Asia region, which used to be one of the most water-stressed in the world, has managed to control per-person water consumption and regulate both municipal and domestic water demands. Depending on the structure of their economies, countries are no longer subsidising the inefficient use of fossil-fuels, thereby minimising wasteful consumption and eliminating market disorders.
3.7.5 Tackling climate change
West Asian countries now incorporate the climate change dimension in the national policies and planning processes of all relevant sectors. The region’s policies in the energy sector, coupled with sustainable consumption and production, are satisfactorily fulfilling its climate change mitigation targets. At the global level, GCC countries are now contributing to climate funds that support mitigation actions in the least developed countries. Regarding adaptation, Mashriq governments continue to strengthen resilience to natural disasters and extreme events. With the region regarding sea level rise as one of the biggest threats of climate change, governments are implementing various adaptation strategies ranging from coastal defences to economic diversification for the affected communities. While West Asian countries had formulated their adaptation strategies on the basis of a potential 1-metre rise in global mean
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