Kuwait Could Become Uninhabitable Due to Future Temperature Rise in the Coming Decades [Reports]

Kuwait is experiencing an unprecedented temperature rise.

Experts asserted that the Middle Eastern country can become uninhabitable in the coming decades should the intense heat continue in the future, according to multiple reports.

The basis for such prediction is based on data that Kuwait's rising temperature is greater than the global average.

Other countries across the region could also be affected as well.

Is Kuwait Becoming Unlivable?

The Environment Public Authority stated some areas of Kuwait could undergo temperature increase reaching up to 4.5 degrees Celsius, which is above the historical average and may cause some places of the country not conducive for human habitation.

In June 2021, Kuwait recorded a scorching temperature of 53.2 degrees Celsius (127.76 degrees Fahrenheit), according to reports, which said the Kuwaiti city of Nawasib experienced the highest temperature record on Earth at that time.

Kuwait is one of the many countries in the world most affected by the environmental and weather impacts of climate change, specifically heatwaves, rainstorms, and flash flooding, based on the Kuwait National Adaptation Plan (2019-2030), as cited by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The UNFCCC, highlighting from the Kuwait report, stated that drought events, dust storms, and heatwaves are significant factors in degrading the terrestrial ecosystems in Kuwait, leading to potential biodiversity reduction and food insecurity.

Also Read: Global Warming vs Climate Change: What Scares You More?

Extreme Heat Threat

In recent years, the Middle East observed record-breaking high temperatures never seen in the region since modern history.

Earlier this year, the region saw a heat index of 66.7 degrees Celsius (152 degrees Fahrenheit), which is near the limit for human survival, based on a July 2023 post by Colin McCarthy on the X platform, previously called Twitter.

In the post, McCarthy said the Persian Gulf International Airport in Iran recorded the record-breaking heat, highlighting that the scorching temperatures lead to intolerable conditions for human or animal life.

According to the MIT Technology Review, climate change is causing extreme heatwaves exponentially hundreds of times more likely and leads to 33% of heat-related deaths.

In short, the changing climate is making extreme heat more frequent and intense, as seen in the Northern Hemisphere in recent months.

Will Middle East be Uninhabitable?

In a larger context outside Kuwait, the Middle East is an arid region since it is located near the equator of Earth. Its geographical positioning, specifically in Southwest Asia and part of North Africa, makes precipitation such as rainfall very low.  

As mentioned before, the region's temperature is already beyond the global average temperature.

In 2021, extreme heatwaves in the Middle East reached more than 50 degree Celsius not only in Kuwait but also in other countries in the region such as Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, according to a report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace organization.

By the end of the century, large areas of the region could become uninhabitable by the end of the 21st century or by the year 2100, the organization said.

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