Environment and Governance

Analyzing environment and governance issues and opportunities throughout the region

The Middle East is a region of extremes. It contains both the world’s largest deposits of hydrocarbons and some of the most water-scarce nations in the world. Growing populations challenge governments to supply adequate water, energy, and waste disposal in a manner that is reliable, affordable, and sustainable. The Middle East Program explores innovative ways governments, businesspeople, and civic groups are addressing service provision, energy security, and climate change both within countries and across the region.

Featured Projects

Photo: Giles Clarke for UN OCHA/Getty Images

Photo: Giles Clarke for UN OCHA/Getty Images

Powering Recovery in the Middle East

Investigating opportunities for donors to support politically- and environmentally-sustainable power infrastructure in conflict-affected settings”

Project

Featured Analysis

Photo: FATHI NASRI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Photo: FATHI NASRI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Mobilizing for Sustainability

Environmental and climate crises are destabilizing the Middle East and North Africa and destroying communities. Will Todman argues that international actors should see environmental civil society as a strategic partner in their efforts to stabilize the region. 

Report by Will Todman and Martin Pimentel — November 12, 2024

Featured Podcast

A tall tower stands in front of a desert.

Karim Elgendy: Climate Diplomacy in the Middle East

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Karim Elgendy, an expert on climate and energy policy in the Middle East and North Africa. Elgendy is the associate director at Buro Happold, an associate fellow at Chatham House, and a senior non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute. They talk about the geopolitics of climate change, the challenges hindering climate diplomacy, and the factors driving energy production in the region. Then, he continues the conversation with Will Todman and Leah Hickert to discuss climate's role in regional diplomacy and the public discourse around climate in the Middle East.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Leah Hickert — June 25, 2024

All Environment and Governance Content

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