Egypt is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate change. High population density, high population growth, and the rapid spread of unplanned urbanization place considerable pressures on the country’s land and water resources. Egypt already suffers from low technical capacity and low community resilience to cope with extreme weather events. Global warming is expected to further exacerbate water shortages in Egypt’s arid to semiarid environment and lead to a rise in both heat waves and the severity and frequency of sand and dust storms.

Climate change will affect all sectors of development in Egypt, but particularly water supplies, coastal and agricultural resources, tourism, and public health. Downscaled General Circulation Models differ as to the projected increase or decrease of the Nile water budget, but the Nile’s flow is known to be particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation in the upstream catchment regions that feed the river. The Nile Delta region is also highly vulnerable to inundation and saltwater intrusion from expected sea level rise.