Kuwait, a small Middle Eastern nation, confronts significant environmental challenges, including climate change, widespread pollution from its oil industry, agricultural loss, and biodiversity damage. A pivotal moment was the 1991 Oil Fires during the Gulf War, which caused immense and long-lasting contamination of air, soil, and water, leading to species extinction and pollution deemed difficult to reverse.
Initially, Kuwait prioritized rebuilding its oil-dependent economy, becoming a major greenhouse gas emitter and drawing international criticism at conventions like the UNFCCC (1995) and the Kyoto Protocol (2005) for its lack of tangible environmental policy despite ratifying these agreements. However, in recent years, the country has begun to address these issues by enacting regulations, establishing bodies such as an Environmental Protection Agency, and increasing its involvement in international efforts, notably submitting an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) at the Paris Convention. Despite these steps, continued environmental stagnation still impacts Kuwait's global image and poses significant health risks to its population.