Kuwait Climate Crossroads: How Extreme Heat and Floods Are Exposing Gaps in Urban Planning and Risk Management
As climate change accelerates, the Middle East is heating up nearly twice as fast as the global average and Kuwait is at the centre of this alarming trend. Countries on the Arabian Peninsula, including Kuwait, are projected to face temperature increases of 3–4°C decades earlier than much of the world. In fact, this shift is no longer theoretical it's already happening. Kuwait recorded a sweltering 54°C in 2016, one of the hottest temperatures ever documented worldwide. But heat isn’t the only hazard the country faces. Kuwait is also witnessing more intense and unpredictable rainfall events, leading to severe flash floods in cities like Jeddah, Riyadh, Dubai, and Kuwait City.
This dangerous mix of extreme heat and flash floods is creating multi-hazard scenarios that are pushing Kuwait’s ...
