The Middle East faces a number of challenges due to the effects of climate change: extreme heat, recurring droughts, water and soil salinization, air pollution, and more. Yet relatively little is known about how people in the region perceive the threat of climate change, or the factors associated with perceiving it as more or less of a threat. This study analyzes the findings from surveys with more than 13,700 people in 12 Middle Eastern countries in 2018-19. About 65 percent of people said that climate change is a very or somewhat serious problem today. Middle Easterners are similar to people in other regions in the way that education, pro-democratic and progressive politics, and certain types of media consumption are positively linked to viewing climate change as a problem. Yet the Middle East breaks from other regions because people who are older, poorer, and more religious tend to be more concerned about climate change relative to their counterparts. Christians tend to exhibit more concern compared to Muslims. Gender is an inconsistent predictor but there is some evidence that women in the region are more concerned than men.
Nimah Mazaheri is an Associate Professor and the Departmental Chair in Political Science at Tufts University. His research and teaching interests are centered in the fields of comparative politics and public policy, especially in topics relating to oil and energy, environmental studies, and the Middle East.
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Tartu Ülikooli Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
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