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Climate Change: The Real Lead Actor to Drive National Policies

04-Jan-2026

By: Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

Clarity has emerged that climate transformations strike today at a pace that unsettles even the most optimistic among us. What we once believed to be a distant prospect has arrived unannounced, confronting the world with a stark reflection of its readiness, resilience, and preparedness. The risks long warned by experts are no longer speculative tales of a future that may or may not unfold, but have turned into a living reality affecting all. Europe, once presenting itself as a model of foresight and control, now feels its way painstakingly across its own terrain and among its people. The droughts afflicting its rivers and farmlands today are not passing crises, but clear signals that the climate system itself has become the dominant force shaping national policies, determining budgetary priorities, and steering strategic decision-making.

Let us be clear: when the waters of the Rhine, the Po, and the Danube recede, the consequences extend far beyond Europe's borders. The entire world's mood shifts with it, from grain prices to energy flows, transportation, and trade. The outlook is even grimmer when looking at agriculture: crops like maize, wheat, and olives show sharp declines, and even vineyards suffer from accelerated degradation as temperatures continue to rise well above their historical maximum.

It is, therefore, only natural that global markets watch every decline and every shortfall in production with growing trepidation. While European states seek to save what they can, my gaze falls on the Arab world, where the vulnerability goes deeper, dependence on external sources is heavier, and the margin for delay far narrower. If Europe – one of the world’s richest regions in technology and resources - can be shaken by a single drought-stricken season, what then of lands that are already struggling to secure drinking water and irrigation, and that rely on global markets for their food far more than on their own land?

Yes, import dependence converts any foreign disturbance into a direct menace to the table of the Arab citizen, while the aridity of infrastructures makes adaptation to shifts in resources difficult and complex. In this lies the core of the matter: it is not a question of European drought per se, but rather of what it portends for a future that will not stop for anyone. It is a world wherein policies will be dictated by water and food above anything else. On that horizon stand large-scale migrations and perhaps even conflicts driven by the struggle to secure water and harvests.

This looming future requires that our Arab states not only react but also not content themselves with temporary palliatives. Food and water security are not traditional policy dossiers; they are one single battle for survival - one to be fought only with modern tools. First among them is interactive, so-called artificial intelligence programming with the potential to change agriculture and water management from a game of probabilities to an exact science: predicting harvests, managing irrigation, monitoring aquifers, and making up for years of waste and exaggerated reliance on sources outside national borders.

The positive side of the picture includes previously unimaginable opportunities brought about by current technologies. These include analyzing weather and soil data to determine the best planting times and exactly how much water each crop will require, thereby minimizing waste and increasing yields. They even allow for early detection of pests and diseases before an outbreak occurs, thus enabling earlier solutions that prevent losses rather than simply mitigating them after the fact. More broadly, intelligent systems must support decision-makers at higher levels in better apportioning financial resources while aligning agricultural development strategies with long-term development and sustainability goals.

Yet this transformation cannot be based only on technology; it needs to be underpinned by a strategic vision, including investment in water infrastructure, farmers' capabilities, and robust public–private partnerships. Modern irrigation projects, water treatment and reuse, and sustainable financing of small farms are all integral steps toward securing the future—along with full use of global expertise from those who have already taken the lead in adopting interactive, AI-driven agricultural technologies. Maybe the biggest challenge is long-term financing, as development of water and agricultural infrastructure requires significant resources that cannot be satisfied through government funding alone. In this context, strengthening public–private partnerships becomes a strategic necessity: capital and operational know-how come from the private sector, while the public sector provides policy stability, incentives, and guarantees. Training programs for farmers and extending access to modern technologies should also form part of the vision, allowing them to become active partners in creating a sustainable system that is resilient against future shocks.

I would go so far as to claim that such a diversified framework of financing, partnerships, and infrastructure could make all the difference between AI remaining a purely technological tool and becoming a physical force, one that would enhance food self-sufficiency and open the way toward a promising, sustainable future.  The European lesson is crystal clear: even the strongest and wealthiest of nations can be caught totally off guard the moment when climate itself becomes the architect of public policy. As for us, the margin for maneuver is far narrower, and the cost of complacency far greater. Early action is, therefore, not an option, but an imperative. Of all things in this world, water is surely the source of life and stability; those who manage to secure it and use it judiciously ensure all other abilities, including providing food, avoiding crisis, and attaining sustainable development.

It is with this in mind that I would like to say: Indeed, Arab food security requires a flagship initiative so that technology, resources, and strategic vision converge and convert climate threats into opportunities to rebuild on smarter, more efficient foundations. Europe’s drought is not a wake-up call, but a mirror of what awaits us if we fail to prepare, and an opportunity to redefine Arab food security, shifting from dependence to self-sufficiency, and perhaps even abundance, with tools whose absence has become unacceptable, which include AI, advanced technologies, and the strategic, intelligent management of water and food resources.