August M
A new UN climate assessment warns that the Arab region experienced its hottest year on record in 2024, with several countries surpassing 50°C and disasters rising sharply.
The latest UN climate assessment for the Arab region paints a stark picture of a year defined by extreme heat, water scarcity and intensifying weather shocks.
The report — the first dedicated solely to the region — signals a rapid escalation of risks for societies already strained by conflict, urbanisation and fragile economies.
Scientists say the trend lines point unmistakably upward.
Hottest year on record
According to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO), several Arab countries surpassed 50°C in 2024, while average regional temperatures were 1.08°C higher than the 1991–2020 baseline.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned that prolonged heatwaves are “pushing society to the limits…it is simply too hot to handle.” She stressed that “human health, ecosystems and economies can’t cope with extended spells of more than 50°C.”
The UN reports that climate-related disasters in Arab nations increased by 83 percent between the periods 1980–1999 and 2000–2019.
Alongside extreme heat, countries also faced dust storms, prolonged drought, and sudden, destructive floods.
Widening weather shocks
Drought deepened across western North Africa after six failed rainy seasons, particularly in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
Meanwhile, normally arid states such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE were struck by extreme rainfall and flash floods, which caused death and significant damage.
These shocks, the report notes, are compounding long-standing pressures: rapid population growth, water scarcity, unstable economies and ongoing conflict.
Claire Ransom of WMO’s Climate Monitoring & Policy Section said that “dust storms, severe flooding, and other climate extremes placed immense pressure on communities all across the region in 2024.”
Urban centres now face heightened risks to transport networks, energy systems and public health, while rural areas grapple with shrinking water supplies and declining agricultural output.
Adaptation underway
Despite worsening conditions, the assessment highlights notable progress. Nearly 60 per cent of Arab countries now operate multi-hazard early warning systems, and more governments are investing in water security and preparedness measures. Still, WMO cautions that adaptation gaps remain large and uneven across the region.
Ransom emphasized that coordinated responses are essential: “Timely information and coordinated action are no longer optional. They’re absolutely essential.”
Looking ahead
Produced jointly with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the League of Arab States, the report aims to support evidence-based policymaking in one of the world’s most water-stressed regions.
It concludes that without swift, collective action, the extreme climate of 2024 risks becoming the region’s long-term reality.
Sources: United Nations
