Environmental issues in Kuwait
Located in the Middle East, Kuwait is a relatively small country that has been the center of many political and economic issues over the past few decades.
[1] Stemming from these tensions, Kuwait as well as other countries in the region, including Iran, Iraq, and Qatar face threats from environmental issues.
[2] The Kuwaiti government has worked to mitigate and adapt to these issues through policy and the creation of agencies to research, educated and inform about environmental problems, their sources, and their effects.
[3] The same researchers determined that policies reversing these damages have limited effectiveness and feasibility given a lack of technology to clean air and water sources, as well as the permanency of species extinction and certain kinds of pollution.
During the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as well as the Kyoto, Copenhagen and Paris conventions, developed and developing countries scrutinized Kuwait for perpetually ranking among the highest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions while rebuilding its economy and disregarding global efforts to mitigate climate change and address renewable energy sources that would cut pollution and negative agricultural effects.
Despite opposition, its effects have been researched and substantiated by many scientists worldwide, including but not limited to the UNFCCC and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
[2] As part of the UNFCCC, Kuwait committed to joining a global coalition to achieve a 2 °C increase in the world's climate from pre-industrial levels by 2020.
[1] Publicly denying collusion, the Kuwaiti delegation wanted to prove the international community wrong by signing onto a pioneering agreement.
"[4] The Kuwaiti INDC, which has not yet been ratified as of 2016, states that the country will continue "business as usual" between 2020 and 2035, suggesting no significant ban or reduction in its oil production; however, the government said it would strive for sustainable economic development through projects and legislation to diversify its energy generation as well as explore jobs in the private sector, including technology.
Shortly after the Paris Agreement, the Kuwaiti government began an initiative through the creation of subsidies for natural gas to reduce emissions by almost 60% by 2020.
[2] One of the largest, most pervasive barriers to renewable energy production is the ability of the big oil companies in Kuwait to influence the economy, positively and negatively, until other economic sectors are established and profitable.
[9] These policies have both created awareness around minimizing air pollution despite the continued oil production as well as the preliminary steps for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
[9] While restitution was not given for the acts committed against Kuwait during the Gulf War, the country has taken more initiative towards reducing its air pollutants, chiefly greenhouse gas emissions.
When the fires occurred, the ash responsible for health problems settled in water sources, such as reservoirs, streams and freshwater storages for desalination plants.
