Climate change impacts on critical urban infrastructure and urban resiliency strategies for the Middle East

Abstract

A number of published studies have demonstrated that the human habitability of the primary urban areas in the Middle East, especially a number of areas in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, will be affected by extreme heat waves and elevated wet-bulb temperatures by the end of the 21st century. This could lead to chaos and extensive socioeconomic loss caused by climate change-related disasters in the rapidly expanding urban areas of the Middle East. The main scope of this study is to review the key impacts of climate change in urban areas of the Middle East, the vulnerability of critical urban infrastructure and systems, and to develop climate change adaptation strategies to create more robust urban environments that are resilient to both gradual climate change-driven events and extreme events. By efficiently preparing for the imminent threats posed by climate change, social and economic stability can be preserved, enabling growth in a changing environment. Due to the vulnerability of Doha to both extremes of dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures, its status is highlighted in terms of a projected future climate.