Climate and Energy

In the coming decades, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is expected to be disproportionately affected by climate change impacts, such as further desertification and water scarcity. Countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon are expected to receive substantially less rain, which will further slow agricultural production, causing a decline in food security and even further unemployment in a region that already has high rates of youth unemployment. This, in addition to increased urbanisation, will exacerbate socio-economic and ecological challenges and injustices that societies and governments will have to tackle. Hence, climate change policies are needed urgently and demand a fundamental energy transition.

The energy context in the MENA region is characterised by one-sided dependence on non-renewable fossil energy sources. Although there is significant potential for the expansion of renewable energies in the region, renewable energy sources only represent a negligible share of the region's total energy production. The transition to renewable energies can, and should have positive socio-economic effects, which would create new, productive, and urgently needed jobs.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) has stepped up its work on climate change and energy issues in the MENA region since the establishment of the Regional Climate and Energy Project in Amman in 2013. Through its regional and national activities, the FES is active in three thematic fields: Just Energy Transition, Climate Justice, and Social and Sustainable Cities.

The FES supports various civil society groups and state institutions in their search for progressive approaches to climate and energy policy. It strengthens civil society organisations and cooperates with trade unions, the media, state actors at all levels, and research institutions to promote and achieve a socially just energy transition and climate justice in the region.

Climate and energy policies should not be designed in isolation from social developments. The work of FES links these two aspects and attempts to contribute to a socio-ecological transformation of societies in the MENA region. In doing so, it critically examines individual Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are of particular importance for the climate and energy policies of the respective countries.

Publications

NetZero buildings in Jordan

Sabbah, Eman

NetZero buildings in Jordan

Amman, 2020

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The mobility transition in the MENA region

The mobility transition in the MENA region

Comparative policy perspectives
Amman, 2020

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Neighborhoods of Amman

Neighborhoods of Amman

Post Covid-19
Amman, 2020

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Hydrogen as a green energy source in the MENA region

Hydrogen as a green energy source in the MENA region

Amman, 2020

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Clean heat in the MENA region

Clean heat in the MENA region

Status report
Amman, 2020

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Regional Climate and Energy Project

Regional Climate and Energy Project

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is suffering more from the implications of climate change than most other world regions. The rise in extreme weather conditions such as floods and droughts, a growing shortage of water, desertification and harvest losses that come with rising costs of food, are some of the most obvious consequences. More

Mishkal – Kaleidoskop

Mishkal – Kaleidoskop

The quest for environmental awareness and sustainability as well as climate justice transcends international and cultural borders. In this project, visual artists from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait co-create artworks addressing these issues and opportunities for action on the sidelines of the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28). More

To know more about our international work:

Climate Change, Energy and Environment

Climate Change, Energy and Environment

Climate change is real – and its effects can already be felt all around the world. In order to counteract the destruction of our planet, we need to live more sustainably and stop wasting resources. This will require enormous changes, such as moving away from fossil fuels like coal and towards low-emission power sources like wind or solar energy. This structural change has great potential – if it is shaped justly. More