{"id":84141,"date":"2026-06-12T10:38:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T08:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=84141"},"modified":"2026-06-29T14:44:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T12:44:24","slug":"climate-change-in-mena-4-questions-people-ask-across-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/84141\/climate-change-in-mena-4-questions-people-ask-across-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate change in MENA: 4 questions people ask across the Middle East and North Africa region"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This story was originally posted by Greenpeace MENA<\/a> for World Environment Day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

I write this as a Lebanese woman who has spent years working with communities across the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), where an environmental crisis is never only environmental. In a region already burdened by economic collapse, conflict, and instability, climate change is not simply another challenge waiting its turn. It is the multiplier of every problem we already have. <\/p>\n\n

\"Ghiwa
Ghiwa Nakat, Executive Director of Greenpeace MENA onboard the Rainbow Warrior for the United for Climate tour in Egypt.
\u00a9 Andrew McConnell \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

That is why the climate conversation in MENA does not always sound like the one held in global summits. It is not only about temperature curves, emissions targets, or distant deadlines. It manifests in four very human questions, asked across the region:<\/p>\n\n

How do we afford food?<\/strong>
<\/strong>How do we secure water?<\/strong>
<\/strong>How do we keep the lights on?<\/strong>
<\/strong>How do we protect our children from extreme heat?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

These are not separate from climate change. These are climate questions. And they are questions of dignity, justice, and survival.<\/p>\n\n

How climate change impacts food security and water scarcity in MENA<\/h2>\n\n

Take food<\/a>. Our region depends heavily on imports<\/a> to secure its food needs. This means that droughts, failed harvests, disrupted trade routes, and rising energy costs can quickly become more expensive meals and harder choices for families. What begins as a climate or economic shock<\/a> elsewhere can arrive very quickly at our kitchen tables.<\/p>\n\n

\"As
To shed light on the effects of climate change in MENA, Greenpeace visited and witnessed the climate change impact in one of the Moroccan oases – Mahamid ElGhezlan. Greenpeace released a documentary titled “We protect Moroccan oases”, in which we called for their protection.
\u00a9 Therese di Campo \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Water tells<\/a> an even clearer story. The Middle East and North Africa is already the most water-scarce region<\/a> in the world, and climate change is making this reality harsher for communities, farmers, and ecosystems. But our story is not only one of scarcity. It is also one of resilience. For generations, people across our region learned how to live with limited water, protect resources, and use every drop wisely.<\/p>\n\n

As we look ahead, resilience will not come only from new technology. It will also come from valuing the knowledge, practices, and respect for nature that helped our communities survive for centuries.<\/p>\n\n

\"On
On the eve of the United Nations climate summit UNFCCC COP22 held in Marrakech, Greenpeace unfurled #SunUnitesUs banners at the iconic Ait Ben Haddou in southern Morocco, sending a strong message to leaders about the potential of solar and renewable energy in the fight against climate change.
\u00a9 Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Energy insecurity and the need for a just transition<\/h2>\n\n

Then comes the question: How do we keep the lights on? <\/p>\n\n

The Middle East and North Africa region is home to immense energy resources. Yet for millions of people, reliable and affordable electricity is still not guaranteed. From households relying on generators to families struggling with rising bills, energy insecurity remains a daily reality.<\/p>\n\n

\"People's
People’s Plenary to demand a fair, fast, feminist and funded fossil fuel phaseout and just transition at the Conference of Party 28 (COP28 ) in Dubai.
\u00a9 Marie Jacquemin \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Energy security is not measured only by how much energy we produce. It is measured by whether people can power their homes, run their businesses, keep food fresh, study after sunset, and live with dignity.<\/p>\n\n

This is why a just transition matters. Not only because it reduces emissions, but because it can deliver cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable energy, while creating jobs and strengthening communities.<\/p>\n\n

Extreme heat in MENA<\/h2>\n\n

And then there is heat. The MENA region is warming at nearly twice the global average<\/a>, with temperatures surpassing 50\u00b0C<\/a> in some areas. But heat is not just a number<\/a> on a thermometer. It is the construction worker spending long hours outdoors in dangerous conditions. It is an elderly person struggling through another night without cooling. It is a child trying to learn in a classroom that has become too hot to concentrate.<\/p>\n\n

\"Firefighters
Firefighters try to suppress fires in 2019. More than 100 fires had broken out in less than 24 hours across Lebanon. Residents had to evacuate their homes and buildings.
\u00a9 Ramzi Haidar \/ Dar al Mussawir \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

When we talk about climate action, this is what we are really talking about: protecting people, their health, their livelihoods, and their ability to build a future where they live.<\/p>\n\n

This is also where climate justice becomes real. The people asking how to afford food, secure water, keep the lights on, and protect their children from extreme heat are often the people with the fewest resources to cope. They are carrying the heaviest impacts, while having the least influence over the decisions that shape their future.<\/p>\n\n

Climate justice means recognising and addressing this imbalance. It means ensuring that communities are not left to face the crisis alone. It means giving people a meaningful voice in shaping the policies, investments, and solutions that will define the future of our region.<\/p>\n\n

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