Climate risks in North Africa and the Middle East

The Maghreb-Middle East region is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Its commonly desert climate has led that most of its capitals and other major cities are located on the coasts, which are largely threatened by rising sea levels. At the same time, the major rivers needed to supply fresh water (the Nile, Jordan, Tigris and Euphrates) are drying up as the climate warms up. Climate change is also affecting coral reefs in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, and increasing the risk of fires. These phenomena are exacerbated by violent winds, with sandstorms in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula, and cyclones in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean.

This map comes from the “Climate change and hotspots of conflict around the world” note published within the scope of the IRIS Defence and Climate Observatory, on behalf of the French Ministry of Armed Forces’s Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS).