Background

In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its landmark study on the current state of climate change. The report provides a stark account of the impact that human-induced global warming has had on the climate system. This includes increases in the frequency and intensity of hot extremes, marine heatwaves, heavy precipitation, agricultural and ecological droughts, more intense tropical cyclones, and reductions in Arctic sea ice and permafrost.¹ In February 2020 the Antarctic region observed its highest temperature on record at 18.3 degree Celsius, in 2017 the Kuwaiti Mitribah weather station’s reading of 53.9 degrees Celsius was the uppermost temperature ever recorded in Asia and among the highest recorded on earth.² Although the IPCC warns that many changes due to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are now irreversible, it does stress that reducing GHG emissions - and reaching at least net zero CO₂ - would limit the warming effect and changes to the climate system.³

The IPCC has reported in its six-assessment report on Asia that is has high confidence that heat extremes and marine heatwaves will continue.⁴ For the Arabian Peninsula specifically the IPCC states that increasing warming levels are projected to raise the intensity, frequency, and totals of precipitation.⁵ Kuwait is at the forefront of the risks for natural and human systems that continued global warming pose, and a leading emitter of GHG and exporter of hydrocarbons. Several scientific studies on Kuwait have detailed how climate change is central to producing ever more extreme weather events in the country, including: record-breaking land and sea surface temperatures⁶; increased severity of droughts and dust storms⁷; and more frequent and severe flash floods.⁸

The government of Kuwait has recognized that many sectors are vulnerable to the impact of climate change, including coastal zones (in particular Kuwait Bay), the marine ecosystem, water resources, and public health (with increased heat stress and increased cardiovascular and respiratory diseases).⁹ The government has stated that it, “is committed to efforts that harmonize economic growth with a low-carbon, climate-resilient development.”¹⁰ The State Audit Bureau in March 2021 reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling climate change and the need for regulatory bodies to address it.¹¹

Kuwait’s GHG emissions, however, have accelerated in recent years. CO₂ emissions have increased 140 percent from 1994 to 2016.¹² According to a recent UN technical assessment, the country is expected to continue to experience increases in its total annual GHG emissions going forward.¹³ Kuwait’s economy is a carbon economy: oil accounts for 90 percent of the country’s revenue and more than half of GDP; it holds one of the largest reserves of oil and gas in the world and has some of the lowest production costs. Perhaps to a greater extent than many other countries, Kuwait faces profound social and ecological impacts both from continued global warming and global efforts to move to net-zero carbon societies.

The government of Kuwait has recognized the global transition away from fossil fuels and efforts to limit global warming will have profound implications on the country’s economy, environment, and social life more broadly. The goal of this research is to provide a situated account of climate change in Kuwait, to examine how the inhabitants of Kuwaitis (both citizens and non-citizens) understand and experience climate change, to assist in policy and scholarly efforts that are working toward achieving low carbon socities in Kuwait and beyond.