Impact of Climate Change

The UAE is a low lying coastal country with an arid climate and which already faces high temperatures. At the same time, the UAE plays a central role in the world’s energy economy as a supplier of fossil fuels. This is an issue as the UAE must find ways to cut emissions while still providing the world with the energy it needs.

Atmosphere - Since the UAE burns a lot of fossil fuels there is a huge build up of greenhouse gases in its atmosphere. The greenhouse gases then trap the heat from exiting the atmosphere causing it to be hotter. This could be the reason for the UAE's hot, arid climate.

Hydrosphere - Higher temperatures on the Earth cause sea water to expand, raising the sea level year after year. This is a huge issue as the UAE is a low lying coastal country. Cities near the coast will have to adapt to rising sea levels.

Biosphere - Climate change has a significant impact on plant, human and animal life. Climate change is causing plants and animals to shift their habitats to northern and mountainous areas. Many plants, the alpine flora for example, are endangered and are predicted to become extinct. Fruit cultivation and forestry are also seriously affected. Climate change results in food shortages for animals, causing the great diversity of wildlife in the UAE to decrease year by year. Climate change also has a small impact on human life as the number of diseases are increased as a direct result from the heat.