Climate Change in the Arabian Peninsula: Challenges and Pathways to Solutions

This book delves into the complexities of the evolving climate across the Arabian Peninsula, elucidating the challenges it presents and exploring strategies to navigate and mitigate its impacts. Including specific examples from climate-sensitive regions can help the book reach a broader audience and effectively achieve its intended goals. With this in mind, the authors have selected the Arabian Peninsula, a region characterized by its unique ecosystem, arid climate, limited water resources, and fossil fuel-based economy. By examining the Arabian Peninsula's challenges and responses to climate change, this study aims to provide insightful illustrations and discussions that resonate with a diverse readership. The reading content of this book on regional climate change will prove valuable to students, researchers, scientists, and policymakers alike by enhancing public understanding of the evolving climate of the Arabian Peninsula and to guide the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Fayma Mushtaq is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies (ARCEMS), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. She earned her Ph.D. in Remote Sensing from the Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, India, in 2019 and graduated as a gold medalist with M.Sc. in Remote Sensing and GIS from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, India in 2011. Her research interests include spatial analysis and modeling, image processing, climate change vulnerability and risk assessment, water quality studies, lightning activity analysis, and policy documentation. She has authored over 19 journal articles, 1 book, 5 book chapters, and 10 policy documents. Dr. Mushtaq was a recipient of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) and Science and Engineering Research Borad National Post Doctoral fellow (SERB-NPDF) award. Dr. Mushtaq is also member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the European Geosciences Union (EGU). She represented King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) at the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh (2024), delivering a talk on “The Role of Civil Society, Women, and Youth in Land Stewardship and Climate Action,” reflecting her active role in international climate engagement.  

Luai Muhammad Alhems earned his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA, in 2002. He currently serves as the Director of the Applied Research Center for Metrology, Standards, and Testing (ARCMST) and the Applied Research Center for Environment and Marine Studies (ARCMES). Additionally, he is a Professor of Thermo-Fluid in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Widely recognized for his contributions to research, he has authored and coauthored over 180 journal articles and patents. His research focuses on gas turbines, energy systems, failure analysis, wind energy, and energy conservation.

Majid Farooq is a Scientist with the Department of Ecology, Environment, and Remote Sensing, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He holds a Ph.D. in Geoinformatics from SGVU Jaipur India, in 2022 and has over 20 years of experience in geospatial technology and climate change research. He earned his M.Tech in Remote Sensing and GIS from SRM University, Chennai, India in 2009. With an extensive publication record, he has authored over 50 journal articles, 8 books, and 10 book chapters. His research focuses on climate change modeling, vulnerability and risk assessment, spatial analysis and modeling, forest and wildlife studies, disaster management, environmental planning, and policy design. Dr. Farooq's awards and honors include the National e[1]Governance Award (Innovative Use of Technology) by the Government of India (2012), representation of India at the UNFCCC COP-24 in Katowice, Poland (2018), and the National Geospatial Fellow Award – 2024.