...AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ARAB REGION Introduction Climate change (CC) refers to a change in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. It refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity (IPCC ,2007). Science established a causal effect between the acceleration of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and CC effects (IPCC ,2007), Global GHG emissions due to human activities have grown since pre-industrial times, with an increase of 70% between 1970 and 2004. Among the world’s regions, Arab region is especially vulnerable to climate change. It is one of the world’s driest, most water-scarce regions, depends on climate-sensitive agriculture. Per capita renewable water resources in the region, which in 1950 were 4,000 m3 per year, are currently 1,100 m3 per year. Projections indicate that they will drop by half, reaching 550 m3 per person per year in 2050.( World bank, 2006). In addition, climate-induced resource scarcity could further tensions in the region’s conflict-ridden areas, potentially escalating violence and political turmoil even beyond the region’s boundaries. This is supported by the fact that 80% of surface water resources and 66 % of total water resources in the Arab region is a shared water esources. Climate change is putting additional...
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...Global Interactions November 20, 2014 Paper 1: Arab Spring The Arab Spring refers to a series of popular uprisings throughout the Arab world that began in December, 2010. The catalyst for these uprisings was a twenty-six year old Tunisian, who lit himself on fire outside of a civic building.[1] Mohamed Bouazizi was a fruit and vegetable cart vendor and was trying to sell produce on the streets when his cart was confiscated by a Tunisian government official. This was one of a series of harassments that he had experienced, and the last indignity that he suffered was being slapped by a female Tunisian government employee.[2] He then subsequently set himself on fire, and this event is was set off the Arab Spring, or the Arab Awakening, as it is also called.[3] However, this was only the catalyst; the Arab Spring is a fluid, ongoing event that is steeped in history with economic, political, and social factors contributing to its occurrence. After Mohamed’s self-immolation there were thirty days of national protests in Tunisia before the former Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine was removed from power.[4] During this time there were others in the Arab world watching this on satellite channels like Aljazeera, so there was an increase in cases of self-immolation in other parts of the Arab world, including Egypt.[5] Many in Egypt were watching this going on and thought that if a small country like Tunisia can overthrow a dictator through popular uprising then perhaps they...
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...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15435768 Abstract People often comment on the impact that technology has on people's social skills. Frequently, this lens is used to analyze the limits of social media . However, this paper moves away from simple social skills in seeks out the effects that social media has in generating a greater kind of change, social change. This paper analyzes the impact that social media can have on revolutions in the twenty-first century. I use the Arab Spring as a means to point out the strengths and weakness that social media forums can have on a revolution. Primarily looking at Twitter and the role that Tweets played during the Arab Spring, I outline the role that Social media can play in times of uprising. Like most things, moderation is key. While social media offers many benefits, in excess, it can generate chaos and present an apparent lack of directions. This ultimately raises the question of how will changes in technology change us and how we change humanity. Nathan Willis William Penman Interpretation and Argument December 2, 2013 Not Following the Leader: How Social Media Impacted the Arab Spring Introduction As long as there have been established governments, there have been revolutions to test them. In times past, these revolutions frequently came from people discussing their dissatisfaction with other members of their towns. The advent of the telegram allowed people to overcome the barrier that distance created. Yet, two major...
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...funds from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KVINFO has established partnerships with more than 70 partners in the Middle East, North Africa and Denmark with the aim of strengthening gender equality and women’s rights. PROGRAMME WOMEN IN A CHANGING MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA – FACING CHALLENGES AND SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES APRIL 16TH 2012 THE ROYAL LIBRARY, QUEENS HALL COPENHAGEN, DENMARK 09.15-09.45 09.45-10.00 10.00-10.15 10.15-10.35 REGISTRATION AND COFFEE Welcome speech by Director of KVINFO, Ms. Elisabeth Møller Jensen Opening speech by Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Villy Søvndal Special address by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Ms. Tawakkul Karman AFTERNOON SESSION 13.45-15.00 “Seizing Change – Who are the promoters of change and how will they drive the agenda for equality and inclusion in the MENA region” Examples of and experiences from successful promotion of equality and women’s rights across the region. Panel of Experts: • Ms. Fatima Sidiqi, Professor of Linguistics and Gender Studies and President of the National Union of Women’s Organizations, Morocco • Ms. Jamila Garmouma, Member of the presidium of the Fédération de la Ligue Démocratique des Droits des Femmes (FLDDF), Morocco • Ms. Nadia Shamroukh, General Manager of the Jordanian Women’s Union, Jordan Ms. Tanya Habjouqa, Photographer, Jordan • Mr. Yahia Zaid, Project coordinator, Nazra for Feminist Studies, Egypt 15.00-15.20 15.20-15.50 15.50-15.55 COFFEE BREAK Questions and Comments...
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...Bruce W. Jentleson Strategic Recalibration: Framework for a 21stCentury National Security Strategy T he release of the Obama administration’s 2014 National Security Strategy comes amidst increasing criticism of its strategic savvy. Some are rank partisan, some Monday-morning quarterbacking. Some, though, reflect the intensifying debate over the optimal U.S. foreign policy strategy for our contemporary era. At one end of the debate are those advocating retrenchment, who see limited global threats on one hand and prioritize domestic concerns on the other—be they the budget-cutting of the Tea Party right or the nation-building-at-home of the progressive left. At the other end are neoconservatives and others pushing for re-assertiveness. This is based on a bullish assessment of U.S. power and the contention that it still is both in the U.S. national interest and that of world order for the United States to be the dominant nation. While retrenchment overestimates the extent to which the United States can stand apart, reassertiveness overestimates the extent to which it can sit atop. The United States must remain deeply and broadly engaged in the world, but it must do so through a strategy of recalibration to the geopolitical, economic, technological, and other dynamics driving this 21st-century world. This entails a re-appraisal of U.S. interests, re-assessment of U.S. power, and re-positioning Bruce W. Jentleson is a Professor at Duke University, Sanford...
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...1. Introduction The most important factor in the fate of societies and nations is command of energy. Energy is defined as the ability or capacity to do work. Energy policy in the European Union represents one of the core policies since the beginning of the European Integration. The treaty of Paris to establish a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM or EAEC) were the first attempts to an energy cooperation within the European Community. As the size of the European Union grows (reached twenty eight member states as of March 2013), it needed more energy sources as energy plays an important role for economic development. Now the European Union is the largest importer of energy (oil and gas) in the world, and the second largest energy consumer. Therefore, member states of the EU need more secure access to energy resources. Beside the North-South and East-West energy corridors, Europe ingests the South-North corridor, connecting it with North Africa and the Middle East. In 2007 Oil and Gas Journal estimated stocks and supplies of oil at 114 billion barrel and natural gas at 13, 9 billion cubic meter. Almost one third of European imported oil comes either from the Middle East or from North-West Africa. Europe pipeline interests in the south are focused exclusively on natural gas. In 2006 Algeria delivered 16, 7% of Europe gas, and it’s considered to be the biggest third land delivers natural gas, including LNG (Liquefied Natural...
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...only oil and oil-related products (such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait), others have a highly diverse economic base (such as Cyprus, Israel, Turkey and Egypt). Industries of the Middle Eastern region include oil and oil-related products, agriculture, cotton, cattle, dairy, textiles, leather products, surgical instruments, defense equipment (guns, ammunition, tanks, submarines, fighter jets, UAVs, and missiles). Banking is also an important sector of the economies, especially in the case of UAE and Bahrain. Main economic sectors & main actors Middle Eastern Oil-Exporting Countries The oil exporters comprise 12 countries: the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) and Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen. Together, they account for 65 percent of global oil reserves and 45 percent of natural gas reserves. The countries are mainly exporters of oil, gas, and refined products, with oil and gas contributing about 50 percent to GDP and80 percent to revenue. They are diverse and differ substantially in terms of per capita GDP, which in 2008 ranged from $1,200 in Yemen to over $70,000 in Qatar. The GCC subgroup is relatively homogenous, however, with similar economic and political institutions and relatively less diverse per capita incomes. To be given the comprehensive economic background of Oil-Exporting Countries, Bahrain is one of the most diversified economies in the Persian Gulf. Highly...
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...The Role of New Media in Arab Uprisings: Al-Jazeera focus by [Author’s Name] [Faculty Name] [Department or School Name] [Month Year] ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible. DECLARATION I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University. Signed __________________ Date _________________ ABSTRACT This research is focused on analysing the role played by Social media in the Arab Uprisings. During l8-day period, the Egyptian protesters succeeded to a large extent in achieving maximum publicity and attracting the attention of the world by mobilizing news media coverage of their protests. The role of media is to provide information and communicate messages to others. Media played a significant role in ringing political changes to the countries belonging to Arab region. Since a long time, the people of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and other countries were facing problems due to the unequal and biased policies developed in the country by the leaders. These riots turned out to be an outcome of the frustrations and annoyance which were filling up the people...
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...Question #1: In the picture, I see a lady, who is probably the mother or relative of the three young children. By the looks of the picture, they are poor and live in the makeshift house shown on the far right next to the child. They are probably located in one of the poorer countries in the Middle East, such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, or Iran. Looking at the way the mother and children are dressed, the climate in the country could be hot during the day but cool at night. The backdrop of this picture shows a mountainous area. There is not much grass on the ground; there are more dirt and rocks on the ground. Given the new information regarding the picture, the country is a very poor and third world country. Although they have shoes on their...
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...In this essay, I am reviewing a book entitled Why Nations Fail written by Daron Acemoglu, and James Robinson. The book was written in 2012, and the authors mention the ongoing Arab Spring as they were putting together their ideas in writing. This coincidence makes me wonder if these authors were also impacted by the information revolution or the information outburst as Nye (2013) often chooses to call. In fact, the authors did not mention the term ‘information revolution’ in the book; they simply state that Egyptians are on the street not because they are poor, as many scholars and political analysts suggest, but because power has resided in the hands of a few elites, and these elites have used political power to amass personal wealth at the expense of the bigger mass. But why the Egyptian revolution took place at this particular time, instead of a decade ago, for example? As far as I understand political theories, the answer lies behind globalization and information revolution which opened a new gate to information. That is, since billions of people around the globe are capable of reaching the internet (about 1.7 million according to Nye), many are able to read online news, or even watch them live as they are being broadcasted. Thus, it is possible to associate the Egyptian revolution or the Arab Spring to globalization and information revolution. Acemoglu et al, (2012) also indicate that Egypt’s ex-president, Hosni Mubarak gathered a huge amount of Egyptian wealth (about $70...
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...being capitalized upon by media agencies that care more about their viewer ratings than the truth behind their reporting. Why take the time to interview a source when you can simply quote their twitter feed? Unfortunately, this type of reporting allows for too much miss misinformation and the twisting of facts that is now prevailing over our media coverage. Today facts are becoming a matter of opinion depending on what the reader prefers to believe rather than what they must accept. Examples of such belief-based “facts” surround our information sources making it much harder to locate the truth. One needs only to switch between media outlets that are reporting on the same event to see the stark differences between how they are reported. Climate change is at the forefront of this information conflict and can only be rationalized by the reporter’s political views and the reader’s position as well. Here we begin to find that the public is beginning to choose what they deem to be truthful without properly vetting...
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...Biodiversity Hotspot in Indo Burma Student’s Name Name of Institution Abstract Extinction has been happening over the years without concerns; however there are people who have emerged to create awareness on the importance of conserving the environment for their continuity. For this course some biodiversity hotspots have been identified which host a variety of endemic species which need to be protected. This paper seek to explore how climate change has affected the species, other threats that exist that endanger these species and what is being done to mitigate these threat. Biodiversity Hotspot in Indo Burma Map 1: Indo-Burma a Biodiversity hotspot (Myer, 2000) The biodiversity hotspots concept was brought about by a man called Norman Meyer. There are 25 identified hotspots all over the world and other potential ones are 9 in number. These areas share a similarity of having many endemic species and together they support 60% of world’s mammals, plants, birds, amphibians, and reptiles’ species. One of these hotspots includes the Indo-Burma. Termed as one of world’s biodiversity hotspots the Indo Burma spreads across the eastern parts of Bangladesh extending to the Indias North eastern regions, the southern parts of Bramaputra River, almost the whole of Myanmar and China’s southern and eastern parts of Yunnan Province also including Thailand and minute parts of Penisular Malaysia. Not forgetting the south China’s coastal lowlands, the off shore...
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...development. It is essential if human beings are to enjoy healthy and safe lives or realize social and economic development. Ecosystems are also inextricably linked with water. Water sustains humans’ health, food production, and economic development. But only 3 percent of Earth’s water is salt-free, or fresh water. Moreover, nearly 70 percent of fresh water is locked in glaciers and icebergs, and is not available for human use. The fresh water that is available comes from rain or from rivers, lakes, springs, and some groundwater reserves, such as aquifers. With the increasing demand on water for all aspects of sustainable development, water is becoming very scares all around the world! * Around 700 million people in 43 countries suffer today from water scarcity. * By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world's population could be living under water stressed conditions. * With the existing climate change scenario, almost half the world's population will be living in areas of high water stress by 2030, including between 75 million and 250 million people in Africa. In addition, water scarcity in some arid and semi-arid places will displace between 24 million and 700 million people. Water scarcity already affects every continent. Around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world's population, live in areas of physical scarcity, and 500 million people are approaching this situation. Another...
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...12/2/2014 Contents Brief facts Ancient market: Khan-al khalili Fishawi's Cafe Nile River Sharm El Sheikh EGYPT Does it only have Pyramids? Subject: Tourism Geography Tutor: Khổng Yến Giang Group 10: Đặng Thị Quỳnh Hoàng Thị Thảo Attraction Giza Foul Kebab Kebab Molokhia Mint tea Baklava Egyptian Cuisine Tips Do and Don’t . Name : Arab Republic of Egypt Capital: Cairo Independent day: Feb 28th 1922 Square: 1.001.450 km2 Population: 77.505.000 (2005) Border: North: Mediterranean Sea West: Libya East: Israel and Red Sea South: Sudan Language: Arab Religion: Islam Weather: desert, hot and dry summer temperate winter Flag Red: Revolution White: Purity Black: Dark time in the past Eagle of Saladin: Brave, Loyalty and Victory 1 12/2/2014 Egypt geography • 29th biggest country in the world. • Total area of 1,002,450 sq. km. • Located in the northeast corner of the African continent. • 4 main geological areas: Nile Valley and Delta: extends on both sides of the Nile from the southern limit of the river Western Desert: Extending from the Nile Valley in the east to the Egypt-Libyan border in the west and from the Mediterranean coast in the north to the southern- covers 2/3 of the country’s total land area. Eastern Desert: between the Nile Valley to the west, the Red Sea and Gulf of Suez to the east, Lake Manzala to the north and the Sudanese border to the south. Its underground treasures include gems, coal and oil. Sinai...
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...aaa, A. Socio-Cultural Geography- Dubai is situated on the Persian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates. Apart from being a city, it also forms one of the seven emirates of the country. It is roughly at sea level (16 m or 52 ft above). The emirate of Dubai shares borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast. Hatta, a minor exclave of the emirate, is surrounded on three sides by Oman and by the emirates of Ajman (in the west) and Ras Al Khaimah (in the north). The Persian Gulf borders the western coast of the emirate. Dubai is positioned at 25.2697°N 55.3095°E and covers an area of 4,114 km² (1,588 mi²), which represents a significant expansion beyond its initial 1,500 mi² designation due to land reclamation from the sea. Dubai lies directly within the Arabian Desert. However, the topography of Dubai is significantly different from that of the southern portion of the UAE in that much of Dubai's landscape is highlighted by sandy desert patterns, while gravel deserts dominate much of the southern region of the country.[1] The sand consists mostly of crushed shell and coral and is fine, clean and white. East of the city, the salt-crusted coastal plains, known as sabkha, give way to a north-south running line of dunes. Farther east, the dunes grow larger and are tinged red with iron oxide. The flat sandy desert gives way to the Western Hajar Mountains, which run alongside Dubai's border with Oman at Hatta. Dubai has no...
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