A multi-criteria assessment of climate change impacts on urban sustainability in Dammam Metropolitan Area, Saudi Arabia

Climate change (CC) is increasingly causing precarious and pervasive disruption to lives, livelihoods, and the environment. The Global South countries are vulnerable to CC impacts due to rapid urbanization, poverty, low resilience, and poor governance. While some countries have implemented measures to mitigate CC impacts, many strive to do so. Saudi Arabia is among the Global South countries with high per capita energy use and carbon emission. However, there is a dearth of studies that assess the impacts of CC for better mitigation efforts and decision-making. The present study is an effort to attend to this research need. This article uses experts-based survey (n = 12) to assess the impacts of CC on the Dammam Metropolitan Area using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The findings indicate that the highest ranked CC impacts based on priority weights are sea-level rise then coastal flooding, trailed by the threat to public health and low agricultural productivity. However, groundwater depletion and urban heat islands were deemed having the least impacts. Also, the experts ranked green infrastructure and sustainable transportation as more effective than green buildings in mitigating CC impacts in the study area. The study recommends that green infrastructure (GI), sustainable transportation (ST), and sustainable urban form (SUF) are more appropriate mitigation measures to CC impacts in Saudi Arabia and similar geographical regions. Because CC impacts on humans and the environment are widespread, mitigation and adaptation efforts can assist in lowering their adverse effects and promoting environmental sustainability.