The Arab world is standing at a precipice. Climate change is accelerating at twice the global average across the region. Water scarcity threatens to erase up to 14 per cent of GDP by 2050. Illiteracy and failing education systems leave millions unprepared for the AI revolution already reshaping economies elsewhere. Yet, still, Arab leaders siphon billions into Swiss banks, insulating their families while leaving their nations exposed to the coming storm.

This is not a prophecy of decline but rather a description of decline already happening. An investment of up to 4 per cent of GDP per year is made to secure climate resilience and meet targets for reducing emissions, yet corruption ensures these funds never materialize. Productivity in agriculture could decline up to 30 per cent, displacing millions of people and destabilizing food systems.

Climate collapse as destiny

The temperatures in Iraq are rising seven times faster than the global average. In Saudi Arabia, by the 2050s, there will be nearly 20 heat waves annually, each lasting an average of 10 days. Under a high-emissions scenario, Saudi GDP is expected to contract by more than 12 per cent by 2050. Coastal cities from Alexandria to Basra face rising seas, while adaptation projects remain underfunded, delayed, or siphoned off by corrupt procurement.

A one-meter rise in sea levels will affect 3.2 per cent of the population, and 1.49 per cent of GDP. Leaders build vanity projects—towers, islands, and stadiums—that will be swallowed by the very climate they deny.

Illiteracy in the age of AI

The AI revolution is not waiting for the Arab societies to catch up. Western economies embed AI into logistics,........

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