SSh1 Assessment of climate change impact on the Arab Region (Part 1)

Organised by: Arab Water Council

Coordinator: Dr Wael Khairy (e-mail: waelk@mwri.gov.eg) and Dr. Safwat Abdel-Dayem, Executive Director, Arab Water Council (e- mail: safwat@mwri.gov.eg)

Changes in climate have started and are expected to continue for centuries/millennia after GHGs concentrations stabilize. It is expected that climate change will cause a chain of impacts at the global, regional, and local levels affecting all economic sectors in one way or another. The foreseen change in climate is likely to affect natural ecosystems, including forests, wetlands, coastal areas, water resources systems, food supplies, human health, and socio-economic systems. Climate change is likely to increase the stress on currently stressed resources, especially in the Arab Region where water scarcity problems prevails. Studies have shown that most systems are sensitive to both the magnitude and the rate of climate change. However, the vulnerability of a system to the expected change depends on economic strength and existing infrastructure, which makes developing countries, such as Egypt and most of the other Arab countries, generally more vulnerable and less able to adapt. The uncertainty of the change and its interaction with non-climatic changes in nonlinear systems make it difficult for policy makers to anticipate the changes and take steps to mitigate, adapt, or take advantage of it. Nevertheless, current knowledge of climate change should never be ignored in the formulation of future policies regarding, for example, water resources management, food production, or environmental protection.

This session with through shade on the global climate change problem and its consequences, then will focus on the Arab Region with demonstrating the anticipated dominant threats happening and/or predicted as direct causes of the climate changes.

The experts and panelists as well as interactions from the floor will discuss and address two questions; where we are and are we ready for the future in our region.

AGENDA

Part I

14:00 – 14:30    The impacts of Climate Change on water resources and services in developing countries:  emerging knowledge, financing instruments and policy changes with specific reference to the Middle East and North Africa; Keynote; Mr. Pier Mantovani, the World Bank
14:30 – 15:00    Assessment of vulnerability and adaptation of water resources to climate change in Egypt, Dr. Bayoumi Attia
15:00 – 15:30        Discussion

Part II

16:00 – 16:30    Study on climatic element changes, Land use and Land cover of the marsh regions in Iraq, Dr. Ibrahim J. Mohammed and Dr. Hasan H. Gatie
16:30 – 17:00    Climate change and its impacts on water resources in the Maghreb region; Mr. Abdelhamid Ben Abdelfadel and Ms. Fatima Driouech

17:00 – 17:30        Discussion

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