Impacts of Climate Change on GCC Countries and their Negotiation Trends

Abstract

This paper has presented the effect of climate change on the major economic sectors of the region. The paper also put forward the point that as far as climate negotiation strategy is concerned, while upholding economic diversification policy at the centre, GCC countries witnessed two trends: one is the ‘coalition effort’ to collectively agree to sign and accept the challenges posited by developed countries, and the other is the ‘lone effort’ in adopting various adaptation and mitigation measures by each country, focusing on renewables and energy efficient measures and declaration of net-zero targets. Though initially reluctant, all GCC countries have established some institutional measures to address and investigate climate change related issues. However, more investment in conducting deeper research is imperative among GCC countries to draw a better conclusion about climate change and adopt plausible Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) and carbon market trading to their benefit.