It is clear that human society is in the stage where unsustainable practices are showing significant consequences on the global environment. Through the various UN Conference of the Parties and Sustainable Development Goals, climate resilient practices and policies are more important now than ever. The Middle Eastern region is in a period of rapid development and expanding population sizes that are calling on huge consumptions of non-renewable resources. The increase in fossil fuel use results in an increase in carbon emissions which is the main culprit in climate change as it traps the sun’s heat and warms the atmosphere. This region holds some of the largest oil reserves in the world, showing a significant need to improve the sustainable policies and practices in their respective countries.

            Historically, the Middle East has a hot and arid climate. According to the Population Reference Bureau, it is the most water-scarce region of the world with twelve of the world’s fifteen water-scarce countries being in this region. There is an over-dependence on non-renewable natural resources in the Middle East regionally and from foreign countries. The demand for energy has skyrocketed over the past few decades in all countries due to evolutions in technology and manufacturing needs. According to Hawkins in EcoMENA, though there is a significant call for sustainable practice in the Middle East by the UN, several industries are still reluctant to comply with the sustainability standards. This lack of infrastructure and desire to follow modern climate-conscious trends have threatened the ecological landscape of the Middle East. However, there is a new wave of economic and environmental sustainability in the Middle East following the UN SDGs 6, 9, 11, 12 and 13, as leaders are beginning to realize the detriment of climate change in their region.

            UN SDG 6 focuses on clean water and sanitation. Since 2020 Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, Israel, and UAE has 100% of its population using basic sanitation services. Qatar, Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE also have “SDG achieved” percentages of anthropogenic wastewater that receives treatment. UN SDG 9 calls for better industry, innovation, and infrastructure. This SDG presents a serious challenge within the Middle East with most nations in orange and red zones on the Sustainable Development Report. However, some countries in the Middle East have made strides in hosting climate conferences and creating climate-resilient strategic plans. Some notable ones are the UAE’s Estidama (‘sustainability’ in Arabic) program in 2010 and hosting the Expo 2020 which was a 182 day conference to discuss future sustainable solutions to global issues. According to SAS International, Estidama's purpose was to formulate a methodology for constructing buildings and communities more sustainably.  Found on the World Bank Indicator, Iran has greatly improved its quality of trade and transport related infrastructure as well as raised its expenditure on research and development. Ranked the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, Iraq’s FAO has committed to addressing climate change through initiatives like Climate-Wise-Women and collaborations with the WHO and Ministry of Health.

UN SDG 11’s Sustainable Cities and Communities is something the Middle East has been working on for decades. According to the Sustainable Development Report, Iran has significantly improved its access to water sources through piping. The UAE and Kuwait have achieved promising reports at lowering the proportion of their urban populations in poverty as well as UN satisfaction with public transport. UN SDG 12 supports responsible consumption and production. Yemen has achieved full marks on this SDG with progressive scoring in municipal solid waste, electronic water, production-based SO2 emissions, production-based nitrogen emissions, and nitrogen emissions embodied in imports. Almost all Middle Eastern countries besides four, have exponentially limited their average annual amount of plastic waste to UN SDG achieved standards.

Lastly, Climate Action for the UN SDGs 13 is the most centralized piece to the issue of climate change in the Middle East. Though many Middle Eastern countries have stayed in yellow to red zones, Syria and Yemen have fully achieved their UN SDG 13 benchmarks with excellent marks in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production and CO2 emissions embodied in fossil fuels exports. It is noted in the Sustainable Development Report that several countries such as Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen have significantly lowered their CO2 emissions in imported goods and services to UN SDG 13 standards.

Besides specific data of Middle Eastern countries and UN SDGS, the Middle East has been investing in sustainable initiatives across the board. These initiatives include programs to advance clean energy sources, waste and water management, sustainable infrastructure and agriculture, and much more. In 2021, Saudi Arabia created a Sustainable Development Steering Committee whose efforts were to lower emissions and combat the country’s energy issues. According to Middle East Forbes, Saudi also founded the $2.2 billion Middle East Green Initiative to increase regional cooperation in mitigating climate change impact. Also from the Middle East Forbes Sustainable 100, 44 companies were from the Middle East.

The Middle East is a region rich in some of the world’s most vital natural resources, yet also holds some of the world's most vulnerable areas to climate change. There are an infinite amount of options for the region to sustainably develop and combat its climate issue and it seems that the Middle East is taking these environmentally-friendly options. There is much work to be done before the region can fully reach their UN SDG climate goals, but if the countries continue to work multilaterally and focus on honing their sustainable techniques and mechanisms, one can predict a promising green future for the Middle East.