Climate change in Oman: current knowledge and way forward

The purpose of this paper is to give professionals, researchers and policy makers in Oman and the region understanding of the climate change implications for better planning. The likely impacts will cause serious damage to the economy of Oman which already suffers from aridity, soil salinity, recurrent drought and water scarcity. This paper highlights the work being carried out and current knowledge and efforts being made in view of climate change challenges in Oman.

The paper is based on a literature review of texts and references sourced from scientific reports, research papers and other published documents by various national and international agencies.

Sultanate of Oman is vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate change, the most significant of which are increased average temperatures, less and more erratic precipitation, sea level rise (SLR) and desertification. Integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation in development strategies and policies is a must for a country like Oman which is at the early stage of economic and industrial development.

It is not clear from existing data that any organized research effort is ongoing in Oman to tackle various climate change related issues. There are number of projects undertaken may look impressive but none of the projects was taken up as a direct response to climate change concerns. A small and scattered number of research studies have been published in the field of climate change, and there are many gaps that still need to be filled in the future, especially pertaining to the vulnerability of water resources, agriculture, and biodiversity of Oman.

The paper offers inputs for researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders on issues related to climate change and its management in Oman and the region.