There are reasons for Kuwait to be more concerned about climate change than the rest of the world. Essa Ramadan, Superintendent at the Meteorological Department, Civil Aviation, has found from his analysis of historical climate data in Kuwait that the temperature rise here is above the global average. Many people in Kuwait were taken by surprise by the erratic nature of the winter this year, with long spells of tepid weather and sudden bursts of cold waves just when the winter seemed to have passed. Those, Ramadan points out, are indications of deep undercurrents of change. If left unattended we may be faced with disasters close to apocalyptic proportions. To find out what we can do to contain this monstrous wrath of nature from unleashing itself upon us... read on.

Q: You sounded some concerns recently about the effects of climate change in Kuwait. What are your findings?
A: The climate change is a global phenomenon, and is not a local  issue in Kuwait alone. But Kuwait, being a part of the globe, is also affected by this climate change. Kuwait cannot exist independently from the rest of the countries in the world. When there is something affecting other regions of the globe, Kuwait too will get embroiled in it, whether we like it or not.
Going back to 50 years or more of climatological data, starting from 1957, which is when we officially began to record climate data, we can see some anomalies and changes. There is a significant change in the climatic conditions of Kuwait. There is a sharply perceptible rise in temperature in Kuwait.
An increase in temperature of let’s say 1.5 degrees to 2 degrees centigrade is crucial and dangerous. The scientific community looks at it very gravely. This is considered a big change that will affect the whole region.
Globally, the rise in temperature began by the late 17th or early 18th century. Since then, we have been witnessing a rise in temperature. This was the time when industrial revolution was taking place in the world. The temperature increased due to the increased emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere owing to greater industrialization and the use of coal and other energy sources.
Historically, yes there have been massive changes in climatic conditions of the world. There was the ice age, when the whole planet froze, and then the temperature went up again and so forth. However, these changes were very gradual. What is happening now is a very rapid change in temperature conditions. This change is not normal and cannot be counted as part of the historic process of climate change.

Q: What are some of the more immediate effects of climate change in Kuwait?
A: If you analyze, you will realize that of late in Kuwait dust storms have increased. Yes, we used to have dust storms earlier. But consider the region as a whole. Kuwait is a small country. Our range is about 17,800 sq km, but areas that are outside this range such as Syria and Iraq are also witnessing massive changes. They have of late been severely hit by drought.
The drought in these regions has led to sand being blown away from these regions. These changes have also caused migrations. This has affected the agricultural regions in Mesopotamia lying between the Tigris and Euphrates. Similar conditions have also been created in some areas in Syria and Jordan. These places used to be very green and luscious. People were growing different vegetables and indulging in farming in these areas. But now these areas have become very dry.
Most of the dust blowing into Kuwait comes from these regions, which I call the dust triangle. This is between the south Eastern side of Syria and North Western side of Iraq, and the eastern side of Jordan. These zone forms the dust triangle.

This area has been hit by drought for years now because of the changes in pressures in the higher elevation of the atmosphere. With changes in the global climate, there are changes in temperature and in the dynamics of the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. This in turn affects the rainfall patterns in different places. Places that previously had good rainfall are experiencing drought, and places which had no rainfall are suddenly experiencing rain. Areas which had normal rainfall are suffering from floods.
That’s why we are seeing incidents like what happened in Jeddah recently. Why go that far, look at Kuwait. In 1997, Kuwait had a rainfall of 60 to 100 mm of rain in one hour. This is a dire situation and close to flooding. The 70’s was the time when climate change caught up with Kuwait and the region in general. Climate change on a global scale was felt since late 1800. The temperature began to rise rapidly from then onwards.
Between 1940 and 1944, industrial activities witnessed another spike with the advancement in technology and the wars that created a big demand for weapons. The temperature rose by 0.5 degrees then. By the 60’s, the temperature rose to close to 0.6 degrees, and then to 0.8 degrees and so forth. Now it is close to 0.9 degrees, and is inching towards the 1 degree mark.
For us in Kuwait, the rise in temperature in this period has been between 1.5 degrees to 2 degrees, which is higher than the global average.

Q: This increase in temperature in Kuwait is since 1957 when climatological data began to be officially recorded. Is that right?
A: Yes. So we have to really study the phenomenon here to understand why such a dramatic rise in temperature is felt here, exceeding even the global average. There are many factors that can be named. There has been rapid urban expansion, increase in urbanization... then there are the heat islands and so on. While these can be cited as some of the reasons, the disturbing fact is that our climatological stations are situated outside the city limits. So, the measurements are not from the effects of urbanization. There are other bigger reasons.
This is a warning sign for us. There have been terrible droughts. Common people may not recognize it. But as meteorologists tracking climate change and studying data collected since 1957, we can see that drought conditions have set in here, in Kuwait, since the 80s. We are facing a sharp drop in rainfall. The average rainfall per year in Kuwait used to be 125 mm. That pattern has changed now. What we have today is a rainfall pattern characterized by sudden heavy spells and long periods of dryness. For an untrained eye, with the average rainfall maintained, things appear fine. But it is not so. Something is indeed wrong.
According to the classical system, Kuwait gets rain during late fall or early winter. But since 80s, we have a system in which we experience some rain in November and then a spell of dryness. Then again there is shower in late March, in the season of Sarrayat, which is the effect of local thunderstorms, leading to severe weather.
In 1993, we had floods from thunderstorm. Also in 1997, we had floods. Two years back we had severe weather in Kuwait reaching tornado levels on the Fijita scale. This scale measures the intensity of tornadoes based on wind speed. We had winds exceeding 160 kmph and touching 180 kmph.
This is an indication of change in climate in Kuwait. Kuwait has always had extreme weathers ranging between very hot and very cold. Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen have also been affected.

Q: When did you personally get convinced that the situation is indeed serious in Kuwait?
A: I didn’t’ believe in climate change initially. I thought it was all part of propaganda with political motives. I thought the powerful countries were trying to scare the developing countries out of pursuing big developmental projects, especially the oil producing countries. But then I found out based on my studies of historical data that this is indeed true.
Look for example at India. India’s monsoon last year was very unpredictable. In 200 years India was never hit this badly by monsoon. There were flash floods and so many people lost their lives.
The rise of seawater will also affect us with many coastal areas in Bangladesh and India on the brink of getting submerged. Even Kuwait is facing similar threats. Some islands like Gharou and Failaka face the threat of being submerged.
Historical data reveals that a lot of changes have occurred in the region between Subbiya and the northern shore of Kuwait Bay. Of course, for thousands of years there have been changes happening here. But this is over a prolonged period of time, dating back to Stone Age or Bronze Age. But now the changes are happening rapidly.

Q: Can you tell us something about the basic mechanics of the climate change?
A: The rise in temperature causes the interaction between the ocean and the upper atmosphere, creating a lot of humidity. Higher density of water vapor in the atmosphere leads to more rain, which in turn causes severe floods. When temperature rises by 2 degrees, the sea will give out millions of gallons of water into the atmosphere. With so much water vapor, the atmosphere will unload the burden in the form of rain at different parts of the world. The result: unexpected floods. This can kill a lot of people.
A recent example is hurricane Katrina. Of course, hurricanes have been hitting the coasts of America for years. But to be that severe, killing so many people... this I think is a sign of change. The drought in Kuwait, the intensity and the frequency of dust storms in Kuwait are all indications of similar change.
While on one side we are advancing with technology and urbanization, on the other hand we are falling prey to the forces of nature that we triggered.
Climate change has far more serious consequences than just floods and drought. It can cause mass migrations, affect economy and even lead to wars.

Q: All that you are saying sounds appalling. What can we do to save humanity?
A: We have to adapt. We have to think of ways to mitigate climate change. We have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and the release of toxic wastes into the atmosphere. However, Kuwait’s pollution when compared against countries like China, India and the US, is very negligible.
We were very disappointed by the outcomes of the recent Copenhagen summit. We thought a resolution will be passed to mitigate emissions with the developed countries taking the lead, followed by the developing countries. We were expecting technological support from developed countries in Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The technology transfer is very important... the use of solar power, wind power, biomass and so on for clean energy have to be explored more.
Even oil producing countries have to start thinking of these options. People are scared that if these technologies come to stay, then oil will lose its value and that will affect our economy.
I think that is a far cry. At the pace at which our world is advancing, we can never ever completely do away with oil. Oil will always have its worth. Therefore, we have to think of cleaner ways of using oil, at all stages of its production and use. We have to have new technologies to reduce emissions from oil. There is carbon capturing and storage in the oil fields.

We should also play a role in encouraging the reduction of green house gases globally. Also, if we start focusing on renewable energies, we could become a major producer of renewable energy in the future. We have plenty of sunshine here. We also have wind in this part of the world.
We have to all work together and try and stop the global temperature from rising by 2 degrees. This is what happened in Copenhagen. A draft was signed by USA, China, India, Brazil and South Africa. The draft says that these countries will try to contain the rise of temperature by reducing emissions and courting clean energy technology.
Next, we have to think of adaptation. Okay, there are some drastic changes that are on the brink of happening. So what do we do? Just sit back and wait for the disaster to fall on us. No. For example, if climate change is going to cause heavy rainfalls to the tune of 60 to 100 mm of rain in a single bout, then we have to plan rainwater reservoirs that can hold such extreme spells.

We have to build houses that can withstand such rains. There is also the issue of rising seawater levels. In fact the Gulf countries in general, including Kuwait, are committing a major mistake. We are destroying our coastal areas. We are building too close to the sea. We are building artificial islands, thinking it is a big feat in modernization. It is not.
Look at the West. They do not undertake such projects. By 2100, the sea level is expected to rise by 40 cm to 1.5 meters. This much of a rise can totally submerge your coastal areas. This is enough to bring sea water into the Gulf Road during high tides.
We will pay billions then to save our properties. But if we plan now, we can limit the expense to just millions. Even while building on coastal areas, we have to be adaptive. For example we can erect buildings with more elevation.
The UNDP is helping Bangladesh to build houses on higher elevation and relocating to places which are less threatened by rising sea level. Even countries here are under threat. Bahrain, Oman and UAE will be affected.

However, we don’t seem to understand the impending perils. Our governments don’t seem bothered at all. We are on a massive drive to expand our coasts further into the sea, building artificial islands.
Think logically, none of the western countries, which are providing us the technology and know-how to build artificial islands, are in fact undertaking such projects. Be it Europe, America, Canada or any other Western country... they are not doing such projects on their own soil. In fact, it is against the law there.
Also if you see their coastlines, you will notice that their buildings are at least 30 to 100 meters away from the sea. But they promote this technology here in the Gulf, because it brings them money. We have to be smart. We should try and acquire green and clean technologies from the west and not become the dumping grounds of their forsaken technologies.

The Western countries contributed immensely to global warming, and now they do not want to pay for it or help us with cleaner technologies to pursue development without polluting.
This is what was disappointing at Copenhagen. These polluters are trying to buy more time to continuing polluting and harming the environment. Kuwait comes nowhere close to the pollution levels of these developed countries.
However, that should not make us complacent. If we don’t do our mite, we will also suffer with the rest of the world. We have to look at all possible ways of controlling emissions. In my office, we try to be as green as possible. We use minimal lights, and do not switch on all the lights. I personally turn off the lights before leaving my office, and others in the office also do the same. We also use neon lights, the energy saver lights. My employees have also learnt these things.

The government spends 40 fils to produce a kilowatt of energy, while we pay only 4 fils to use it. So it is a huge burden on the government. The government spends KD 2.4 billion annually to produce electricity from oil. In future, with urban expansion, we are soon to run out of energy. So we have to move to renewable energy. We have to stop abusing energy. Let’s start from small measures. Move to energy saver lights. Use devices to automatically turn off lights and water taps when not required. We are not only helping the government to reduce spending. We are also helping the ecology. It might sound unbelievable, but just by these small measures such as turning off lights and using better energy efficient appliances, we can cut emissions by 25 percent. Small steps go a long way.

When you take a shower, don’t use bathtubs, instead just use showers. KISR had designed a special faucet for efficient use of water. The ministry promoted this product. This helps save a lot of water. The money we save from these measures can be put to better use for the future. The pollution is killing us in Kuwait. Not only the air is polluted, even the water is polluted... there was the Mishref sewage problem recently. Reducing pollution will also create a healthy society. Cancer and bronchial diseases are on the rise here. Pollution is a major cause. So, by polluting less and by controlling emissions, we can help our country in many ways.

biography

Essa Ramadan is the Superintendent at the Meteorological Department for Civil Aviation at Kuwait International Airport. He graduated from the University of St. Louise, Missouri, USA, in 1983, specializing in climatology. He presents weather reports on KTV and has been a regular on Good Morning Kuwait programs tackling climate or environment issues. As a writer and researcher, Ramadan has contributed immensely to various scientific journals. He has also held many seminars and given lectures on climate change and related issues. He is the co-author of the book ‘Oceanographic Atlas of Kuwait Waters.’