arab environment: survival options
of rain-fed farmlands, and 83 percent of grazing lands. In doing so, many Arab countries have also over-extracted groundwater resources at rates higher than the ability to recharge. This is coupled by low rates of irrigation efficiency at less than 40 percent. The increased demand for water has reduced per capita supply to one quarter of the level it was in 1960. Within a decade, it is expected that the average annual freshwater availability in Arab countries will be below 500 m3, which is just 10 percent of the world average, and falls below the severe water scarcity mark. Currently, 13 Arab countries are among the world’s most water-scarce countries, and per capita water availability in eight of them is below 200 m3 per year. In spite of this, the amount of water consumed for personal domestic use in some of the most water-scarce Arab countries is among the highest in the world -- mostly coming from expensive desalination of sea water. Only 40 percent of wastewater is treated, and less than one-third of the treated water is re-used. These conditions limit human development and are a threat to life. In Arab countries, the carbon footprint portion accounts for 45 percent of the total Ecological Footprint. This indicates high rates of energy consumption to meet urban demand and fast growing key economic sectors including construction, transportation, mining, industrialization, and tourism. The environmental impact of the largely inefficient fossil-fuel burning on the quality of air has been significant. In 2011, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE were among the 10 countries with the worst air pollution in the world. Rising asthma rates among children is linked to the deterioration of air quality. The annual health care costs of air pollution in 16 Arab countries have been estimated to be US$ 10.9 billion in 2008, equivalent to 1.2 percent of their combined GDP. Anthropogenic climate change, caused by global CO2 emissions, is predicted to cause rainfall to decrease by 25 percent and evaporation rates to increase by 25 percent in Arab countries by the end of the 21st century, which would cause average yields of rain-fed agriculture to decline by 20 percent overall, aggravating the risks of food and water shortages. In addition, 18,000 km of inhabited coastal areas will become vulnerable to rising sea levels. Other environmental damage afflicting coastal and marine areas includes overfishing, as well as pollution by municipal waste, industrial discharge, and agricultural run-offs brought about by the large number of coastal petrochemical and energy installations, uncontrolled tourism, and extensive urban development. Escalating ecological footprints in Arab countries indicate higher consumption rates by institutions and households and consequently rapidly increasing rates of waste generation, including municipal solid waste (MSW), demolition waste, and electronic waste. The quantity of MSW alone generated annually in Arab countries today has reached 150 million tons and is estimated to exceed 200 million tons per year by 2020. At a per capita solid waste generation of over 1.5 kg per day on average, some GCC countries rank among the highest waste generators globally. And still, the rate of recycling is currently below 5 percent of the total waste generated. It is estimated that the annual damage cost from inadequate waste management exceeds 0.6 percent of combined Arab GDP. In summary, ecological deficits in Arab countries have led to an overexploitation of renewable resources and in turn to deterioration in the quality of air, water, and soil. The average annual cost of environmental degradation in Arab countries has been estimated at $95 billion, equivalent to 5 percent of their combined 2010 GDP.
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