But it is also one of the countries where life is becoming increasingly unbearable, increasingly difficult.[/B] Besides, it is one of the hottest - literally - corners of the planet.
This is Kuwait, which is gradually becoming an inhospitable place for people and nature, despite its 'rich' mineral deposits.
Last year, for the first time, the thermometer exceeded 50 degrees Celsius for the month of June, several weeks before the established temperature peak, which is usually found in July and August.
In 2016, the mercury reached 54 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature recorded on the planet in 76 years.
According to scientists, in some areas of Kuwait, the average temperature could by 2071 be up to 4.5 degrees higher than pre-industrial levels.
Something that, if confirmed, would make much of the country inhospitable to human life.
For wildlife, after all, something similar has already happened.
For wildlife, moreover, something similar has already happened. In the hot summer months, dead birds fall from the sky as they cannot find shade or water. Even wild foxes, trained in the heat, die in the desert."
"This is why we are seeing less and less wildlife in Kuwait.Because animals can't live all year round," admits Tamara Qabazard, an activist in Kuwait.
In 2021, three out of four days in late July had high humidity, very hot and zero air. "Many animals started having respiratory problems," she adds.
All this while Kuwait is OPEC's fourth largest oil-producing country, with a sovereign wealth fund that is the third largest in the world, with assets of more than $700 billion.
So adapting to the new reality and addressing the climate crisis are not issues of lack of money, as is the case in poorer countries in South America or Africa.
Therefore, adapting to the new reality and addressing the climate crisis are not issues of lack of money, as is the case in poorer countries in South America or Africa. They are more linked to political inertia.
Even Kuwait's neighbours, who are also dependent on oil, have made stronger climate commitments, for example Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Kuwait has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by just 7.4% by 2035, when the joint Paris Agreement target is set at 45%, if we want temperature rise to be no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030.
Source:Money Review
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