Sustainability in the Gulf Challenges and Opportunities Routledge Explorations in Environmental Studies Series

Sustainability is a topic of great interest today, particularly for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which have witnessed very rapid economic and demographic growth over the past decade. The observed growth has led to unsustainable consumption patterns of vital resources such as water, energy, and food, highlighting the need for an urgent shift towards green growth and sustainable development strategies.

Sustainability in the Gulf covers the region?s contemporary development challenges through the lens of the UN?s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which place sustainability at the centre of the solution to the current environmental, economic, and social imbalances facing GCC countries. The book presents multiple analyses of Gulf-specific sustainability topics, examining the current status, challenges, and opportunities, as well as identifying key lessons learned. Innovative and practical policy recommendations are provided, as well as new conceptual angles to the evolving academic debates on the post-oil era in the Gulf. Through chapters covering sector-related studies, as well as the socio-economic dimensions of the sustainability paradigm, this volume offers valuable insights into current research efforts made by the GCC states, proposing a way forward based on lessons learned.

This is a valuable resource for students, academics, and researchers in the areas of Environmental Studies, Political Economy, and Economics of the GCC states.

Part I: Introduction

1. Sustainability issues in GCC
2. The Gulf’s Region Commitment to a Sustainable Lifestyle: A Bibliometric Study
3. Framework of study and book organization

Part II: Infrastructure Management and Urban Solutions

4. Water Resources Sustainability in Kuwait against United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
5. Towards Safe and Sustainable Reuse of Treated Wastewater in Abu Dhabi, UAE
6. Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in GCC countries via application of sustainability-oriented innovation to critical infrastructures
7. Towards Sustainable Urban Development: Challenges and Chances of Climate-Sensitive Urban Design in Muscat/Oman
8. The Future of Sustainable Public Transit in Abu Dhabi

Part III: Standards and Policies

9. Advancing Sustainable Consumption: Energy Efficiency Labels and Standards in the UAE
10. Sustainability Assessment for Real Estate in UAE: The case of Masdar City Part IV: The socio-economic perspective
11. Energy Consumption and Transition Dynamics under a Rentier Economy: Case of the GCC States
12. Economic value of the Abu Dhabi coastal and marine ecosystem services: Estimate and Management Applications
13. Economic and GHG Emission Policy Co-benefits for Integrated Waste Management Planning across the GCC
14. Motivating Sustainable Consumption Behavior Through Education, Incentive Programs, and Green Policies in Saudi Arabia Part V: Conclusion
15. Outlook towards the future of sustainability in the Gulf

Elie Azar is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Systems and Management at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Mohamed Abdel Raouf is Sustainability Research Program Manager at the Gulf Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.