Report: MENA unprepared for climate change

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Countries in the Middle East and North Africa have done little as a whole to address the threats from climate change, the American Security Project said Monday.

International delegates gather Tuesday in New York City for a climate change summit hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The summit comes on the heels of a report from the World Meteorological Organization that said the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere last year reached a new record in part because of the steady use of fossil fuels.

A report Monday from the American Security Project found the Middle East and North Africa -- home to nine of the 12 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries -- least prepared for climate change.

"Perhaps an explanation of this is the continued political and military strife in the region," the report read. "However, as a region that is also one of the most threatened by climate change -- especially with regards to changes in water availability -- the countries of the MENA region must do more."

OPEC oil production has responded to the rise in North American output from shale. The American Security Project found that, while political differences may inhibit some developments on the climate change front, there's a strong regime in place to address some of the impacts.