1st Edition

Climate Change Law and Policy in the Middle East and North Africa Region

Edited By Damilola S. Olawuyi Copyright 2022
    342 Pages 21 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    342 Pages 21 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Climate Change Law and Policy in the Middle East and North Africa Region provides an in-depth and authoritative examination of the guiding principles of climate change law and policy in the MENA region.

    This volume introduces readers to the latest developments in the regulation of climate change across the region, including the applicable legislation, institutions, and key legal innovations in climate change financing, infrastructure development, and education. It outlines participatory and bottom-up legal strategies—focusing on transparency, accountability, gender justice, and other human rights safeguards—needed to achieve greater coherence and coordination in the design, approval, financing, and implementation of climate response projects across the region. With contributions from a range of experts in the field, the collection reflects on how MENA countries can advance existing national strategies around climate change, green economy, and low carbon futures through clear and comprehensive legislation.

    Taking an international and comparative approach, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and practitioners who work in the areas of climate change, environmental law and policy, and sustainable development, particularly in relation to the MENA region.

    Part I: Introductory Context and Principles

    1. Nature and Sources of Climate Change Law and Policy in the MENA Region
    2. Damilola S. Olawuyi

    3. The United Nations Environment Programme: promoting climate law education in the MENA Region
    4. Elizabeth Mrema and Aphrodite Smagadi

    5. The Role of Environmental Waqf in Addressing Climate Change in the MENA Region: A Comparative Law Analysis
    6. Samira Idlallène

    7. Addressing Climate Change in the MENA Region through Regulatory Design: Instrument Choice Questions
    8. Georgios Dimitropoulos and Almas Lokhandwala

    9. Climate Change and the Energy Transition in the MENA Region
    10. S. Duygu Sever

      Part II: Case Studies

    11. Enhancing the Effectiveness of National and Regional Institutions in Addressing Climate Change in the MENA Region: Lessons from Morocco and the Maghreb
    12. Riyad Fahkri, Laila Dalaa, Saad Belkasmi

    13. Economic Sanctions and the Effectiveness of the Global Climate Change Regime: Lessons from Iran
    14. Mohsen Abdollahi

    15. Addressing Climate Change through the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Lessons Learned from Turkey
    16. Ali O. Diriöz

    17. Urban law and resilience challenges of climate change in the MENA region
    18. Robert Home

    19. Integrating Public Health into Climate Change Law and Policies in the MENA Region: Current Issues and Future Directions
    20. Rasha Abu-El-Ruz and Karam Turk-Adawi

    21. Carbon Taxation as a Tool for Sustainable Development in the MENA Region: Potentials and Future Directions
    22. Alexander Ezenagu

    23. Mobilizing and Leveraging Islamic Climate Finance in the MENA Region: The Potential Role of National Green Participative Banks
    24. Dalal Aassouli

    25. Leveraging Renewable Energy Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the Middle East: The Role of Public Private Partnerships
    26. Cameron Kelly

      Part III: Lessons Learned and Future Directions

    27. Tackling the Legally Disruptive Problem of Climate Change with Disruptive Legal Education
    28. Hilary Christina Bell

    29. Financing Climate Resilient Infrastructure in the MENA region: Potentials and Challenges of Blockchain Technology
    30. Roxana A. Mastor, Ioannis Papageorgiou

    31. Adopting an Adaptive Governance Paradigm to Advance Climate Law and Policy in the MENA region
    32. Andreas Rechkemmer

    33. Legal Preparedness for Climate Change in the MENA Region: Summary and Options for Policy Makers

              Damilola S. Olawuyi

    Biography

    Damilola S. Olawuyi, SAN, FCIArb. is an associate professor of petroleum, energy, and environmental law at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) College of Law, Doha, Qatar. He is also Chancellor’s Fellow and Director of the Institute for Oil, Gas, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (OGEES Institute), Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. He is an Independent Expert of the Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment, and Human Rights Violations in Africa formed by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

    "This book is a key effort of the legal community to raise awareness, educate and provide solutions through strategies, policies and legislation for one of the regions of the world most critically affected by climate change. It also provides insights on opportunities that can help build resilience, such as renewable energy patterns or Islamic climate finance as a catalyst to adaptation and mitigation and to working towards Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action. This book aims to support Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries by promoting an exchange of information and best practices among countries that share common climate challenges and legal traditions."

    Arnold Kreilhuber, Acting Director, Law Division, United Nations Environment Programme

     

    "The climate crisis threatens the entire planet but the MENA region is particularly vulnerable ecologically, economically and politically. This rich compilation of essays illustrates both the inadequacy of previous efforts to address climate change, and the potential of innovative solutions to effectively and equitably tackle this monumental challenge. Covering key topics from institutions and investment to legislation and governance, Dr. Olawuyi's book is essential reading for policy-makers, professionals, academics and students interested in these timely and topical issues."

    David R. Boyd, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment; and Associate Professor of Law, Policy, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Canada

     

    "This is a ground-breaking book and a much welcome contribution to the existing scholarship on climate change law. This is the first book to provide an in-depth and comprehensive overview for the MENA region of the regulation of climate change across the region, including the applicable legislation, institutions, and key legal innovations in climate change financing, infrastructure development, and education. The contributors include recognized scholars from the region, bringing an important perspective that is often missing from the scholarship on climate change and environmental law. Climate change is a global challenge that requires legal action from all regions and this latest volume by Routledge Studies in Environmental Law should be included in the reading list of climate change scholars, policy makers and lawmakers."

    Nilufer Oral, Director of the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore, Member, United Nations International Law Commission, and co-chair of the Study Group on Sea-level rise in relation to international law

     

    "This important new scholarly collection provides the most comprehensive examination of climate law and policy in the MENA region to date. It identifies key, cross-cutting principles relevant to the people and places of the Middle East and North Africa, and offers colorful case studies that illuminate for all of us the challenges and opportunities, and legal strategies and tactics, for reducing greenhouse emissions, adapting to changing conditions, and increasing resilience to increasingly severe climate impacts in the context of sustainable development." 

    Michael Burger, Executive Director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School, United States of America

     

    "The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is one of the most critically affected by the impacts of climate change; and yet one of the most dynamic and vibrant for opportunities to build resilience. This book is not only an excellent resource for MENA countries that share the same legal traditions​ by providing state-of-the-art information and best practices to countries. Also, the rest of the world can and should draw inspiration from it."

    Christina Voigt, Professor of Law, Department of Public and International Law, University of Oslo, Norway, and Co-chair of the Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee, UNFCCC

     

    "This collaborative book has great values in the field of law and climate change. It discusses many crucial and valuable legal issues in the field of climate for several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. This book provides legal views on climate problems as well as the national strategies and policies in the countries of the region and its connection with Goal 13 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2020-2030. This work is appreciated for the great efforts by a group of environmental law experts in the region."

    Aisa M Hammadeen, Regional Vice-Chair for West Asia Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, International Union for Conservation of Nature

     

    "This book is a very timely contribution to the environmental law field. Unlike similar publications, it canvasses diverse issues along the continuum of environmental law norms, education and institutions. This gives the reader a holistic view of the field from experts who have experience in the geographical area and discipline covered. The coverage of the specific area of climate change law and policy in North Africa and Middle East gives the reader a rare view of the state of play and application of law in a very specialized aspect of environmental law from a part of the world where people do not have as much information as they would want. This book is a good reference for other regions particularly those seeking to develop the discipline and keen on looking at the interface between climate change and other areas of environmental law."

    Patricia Kameri-Mbote SC, EBS, Professor of Law, School of Law, University of Nairobi, Kenya, and Chair, Association of Environmental Law Lecturers in African Universities (ASSELLAU)

     

    "This impressive volume offers a timely, comprehensive, and intersectional analysis of climate and energy governance in the MENA region. Dr. Olawuyi has assembled an exceptional group of experts contributing authors from the region to explore a wide range of topics on climate and energy governance that are relevant to the region and the world. The book includes regional and country-specific case studies to explore cutting-edge issues and offers thoughtful chapters on future directions in the final unit of the book. This book will be a valuable resource for law professors, law students, and legal practitioners in the climate and energy governance fields in the MENA region and beyond."

    Randall S. Abate, Professor and Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy, Director, Institute for Global Understanding, Monmouth University, New Jersey, United States of America