Climate-Resilient Buildings in the Arab Anthropocene

This chapter examines the dual challenge facing buildings in the Arab region: escalating heat exposure and the need for low-carbon development across one of the world's most cooling-dominated climate zones. Spanning 22 countries with diverse conditions, from hyperarid deserts to Mediterranean coasts and mountain climates, the region shares a structural vulnerability to rising temperatures and growing electricity demand for cooling. The chapter argues that imported building models developed for heating-dominated climates often worsen cooling loads rather than reduce them. It proposes a four-level cooling hierarchy, moving from cool urban environments through heat exclusion, passive cooling, and finally efficient active systems, and frames the central heat-carbon trade-off as inseparable from equity and infrastructure constraints. Regional strategies for the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Levant, Egypt, the Maghreb, and fragile contexts such as Sudan and Yemen are discussed. The chapter concludes by calling for climate-responsive governance that reflects regional realities rather than replicating temperate-climate standards.