Rapid population growth and climate change could create a crisis
As early as 2015, a new report by the Arab Forum for Environment and Development suggests, the oil-rich Arab world may tip into severe water scarcity. By then, it’s expected Arabs will have less than 500 cubic metres of water a year per capita to survive on, which is less than a tenth of the global average of more than 6,000 cubic metres per capita. Rapid population growth will stress water resources even further. According to UN projections, the population in Arab nations, which now numbers almost 360 million, will reach nearly 600 million by 2050. Climate change is also expected to aggravate matters. By the end of this century, Arab countries may experience a 25 per cent drop in precipitation and a 25 per cent increase in evaporation rates. “As a result, rain-fed agriculture will be threatened, with average yields estimated to decline by 20 per cent,” the report says. Of the 19 most water-scarce countries in the world, 13 are Arab nations.