Search Results (274)

An increasing number of people are relocating to search for work, leading to substantial implications for both local and global health. Approximately 3.6% of the global population (281 million) migrates annually. Nepal has experienced a notable surge in labour migration in recent years, with a substantial proportion of its residents actively seeking work opportunities abroad. Understanding work-related risks is crucial for informing policies, interventions, and practices that can improve the welfare of this hard-to-reach population. This scoping review aims to systematically identify and analyse occupational health hazards encountered by Nepali migrant workers employed overseas. Medline, Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the NepJOL databases were systematically searched for primary research papers published in English up to July 2024. Relevant data, including workplace hazards and their impact on health outcomes, were extracted and narratively synthesised by highlighting key themes in the existing literature. A total of 24 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Of these, twelve studies were conducted in Nepal, five in Gulf countries, four in Malaysia, two in Hong Kong, and one each in India and Korea. Workplace injuries (motor vehicle injuries, machinery injuries, falls from a height, and falls on a heavy object), poor working environment (including long working hours, work without leave, discrepancy in pay scale, limited access to drinking water and toilet/bathroom facilities), workplace abuse, sexual abuse, and torture were identified as key occupational health hazards faced by the Nepali migrant workers abroad. Multi-level intervention strategies, such as safety training standards, improving working conditions, and eliminating exploitative labour practices, are critical to improving occupational health and safety standards for Nepali migrant workers abroad. This includes creating a supportive working environment where employees can easily and timely access health services as needed. Full article

Mangrove ecotourism is gaining immense popularity in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as a neoliberal conservation tool, and it has contributed significantly to the growth of the tourism sector in the region over the past two decades. However, there is no comprehensive review on the full extent of mangrove ecotourism activities and the contribution to mangrove conservation/restoration and economic growth in the region. A systematic literature review approach was used to examine the evolution of mangrove ecotourism in the GCC countries from 2010 to 2023. A total of 55 articles were retrieved from the Google and Google Scholar search engines, and the Scopus and Web of Science databases were incorporated. We synthesized the results and provided perspectives on the following: (1) the geographical and temporal distribution of studies in relation to mangrove extent, (2) key sites, attractions, and values for mangrove ecotourism activities, (3) the positive and negative impacts of mangrove ecotourism, and (4) existing mangrove conservation and restoration initiatives for the growth of mangrove ecotourism in the GCC countries. The findings underscore the significance of mangrove ecotourism in supporting economic development, protecting coastal ecosystems, and sustaining local livelihoods in the GCC countries. However, this study highlights the crucial need for sustainable coastal environmental management through integrated land use planning and zoning to address the negative impacts of anthropogenic pressures on mangrove ecosystems and ecotourism attractions. The use of remote sensing tools is invaluable in the monitoring of mangrove ecosystems and associated ecotourism impacts for informing evidence-based conservation and restoration management approaches. Thus, harnessing mangrove ecotourism opportunities can help the GCC countries with balancing economic growth, coastal environmental sustainability, and community well-being. Full article

This paper examines the impact of adopting IFRS on economic growth and further development in the Arab Gulf countries, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain. It, therefore, answers the research question of how IFRS adoption affects financial transparency, regulatory frameworks, and economic stability in general in oil-dependent economies. Using data from 2010 to 2020, the research uses regression models to test the influence of IFRS adoption on several key economic indicators. The results, thus, indicate that the adoption of IFRS considerably increases the level of transparency and, hence, enables the inflow of FDI as well, therefore ensuring economic growth. This result also sheds light on the critical roles that regulatory solid frameworks and political stability play in amplifying the benefits of IFRS adoption. However, family-based and state-owned enterprises’ resistance to increased demands for transparency is an issue that would provide a challenge. Implications for policy will be such that comprehensive reforms will be required with the countries’ regulatory frameworks, including more transparency and fitting the IFRS guidelines into local business practice and the cultural context. Future studies should also underscore sector-wise impact and go deeper into how cultural and institutional factors impact the effectiveness of implementing IFRS in the Arab Gulf region. Full article

Anti-soiling coatings are an essential tool for repelling or protecting surfaces from all sorts of particles, sand, and dust. It is usually used on photovoltaic (PV) cells and solar cells to generate electricity in dry regions such as Qatar and the Gulf countries. However, due to soiling, the performance of solar and PV cells significantly degrades, and they are unable to achieve their potential for success. Thus, an anti-soiling coating is applied to prevent dust accumulation, which interferes with the function of solar panels by restricting the required power output. In this study, an alumina nanomaterial was used in the preparation of the ink, which was coated onto a normal glass substrate using the spin coating technique, and the coated samples were characterized using SEM and XRD. The results showed that the coating was able to significantly reduce the surface energy of the glass substrate while improving its hydrophobicity. The anti-soiling performance of the coating was evaluated using a gravimetric method, which showed that the coating had excellent anti-soiling properties. The reference and coated glass substrates were placed outdoors for a given period of time, and the results showed that the amount of dust that was deposited on the coated sample that was outdoors was greatly reduced. Full article

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of soft drink consumption among adolescents in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries using nationally representative data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in a school survey and included 22,116 adolescents aged 12–18 years from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Data were collected and analyzed using complex survey methods. The GSHS was not available for Saudi Arabia. Soft drink consumption was the main outcome variable. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine its associations with sociodemographic characteristics, dietary behaviors, parental factors, and health-related behaviors. Results: The prevalence of soft drink consumption three or more times per day ranged from 10.6% to 26.8% across the countries, with the highest being in Qatar. Adjusted analyses showed that girls had lower odds of SD consumption compared to boys (OR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.57–0.77). Food insecurity, a proxy for low socioeconomic status, was associated with twice the odds of frequent consumption (OR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.75–2.43). Parental smoking and low physical activity levels were also associated with higher soft drink intake (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.13–1.88 and OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08–1.28, respectively), while obesity showed a weak positive association. Conclusions: Daily soft drink consumption was highly prevalent among adolescents in the GCC countries. Sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors were significantly associated with frequent intake. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive, multi-sectoral interventions to reduce soft drink consumption in the region. Full article

The depletion of fossil fuels, economic concerns over the sharp fluctuations in oil prices, and environmental concerns including global warming have renewed interest in alternative green energy solutions in the form of renewable energy technologies. Solar energy is one of the most promising and environmentally friendly forms of renewable energy for power generation. However, energy transition towards renewables has been slow in developing countries, particularly in the oil-rich Arab Gulf countries. To assess the perspective of Omani consumers in terms of solar energy use, barriers, and readiness to use solar energy for sustainable development, this study aims to determine the proportion of the Omani population who use solar energy, the barriers to solar energy consumption in Oman, people’s perceptions towards solar energy barriers, policies aimed at promoting solar energy programs, and the likelihood and willingness to use solar energy in the future. This analysis is based on quantitative data collected through a questionnaire survey distributed in Oman between 20 June 2023 to 12 August 2023. We used 113 samples for analysis using Principal Component Analysis and Krushkal–Wallis H-tests. Our results revealed that 95% of the residents and commercial units surveyed are willing to use solar PV in the future. The main barriers identified include high installation costs, high maintenance costs, and lack of awareness. The potential for growth in solar energy consumption and use depends on the capacity of the government to provide substantial incentives, financial support, improved quality, implement public-private partnership programs, as well as introduce a clear solar energy policy. While evaluating consumers’ awareness and intentions to use solar energy in the future, this study offers practical implications for policymakers to forecast the potential growth, identify effective policy instruments for promoting renewable energy, and determine the readiness of the country for transition to cleaner energy consumption. Full article

Telecommunications firms face intense competition driven by rapid innovation and shifting consumer expectations. To remain competitive, companies are adopting Total Quality Management (TQM) to enhance customer satisfaction, corporate stability, and sustainability. This study examines TQM’s effects on customer satisfaction within Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries’ telecommunications sector using secondary data from three firms’ quarterly reports (2019–2023). Descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses with STATA software reveal a significant increase in net promoter scores, indicating firms’ commitment to meeting evolving customer needs. Employee engagement and process management positively affect customer satisfaction, while continuous improvement practices and customer focus do not show a statistically significant influence. The research underscores TQM’s importance in fostering sustainable customer satisfaction by enabling telecom companies to adopt customer-centric strategies for achieving sustainable growth and long-term success. Aligning business processes with customer needs, especially in complaint handling, is crucial. The study advocates for implementing advanced customer relationship management (CRM) systems to better understand customer preferences. These strategic initiatives are vital for telecom firms to maintain competitiveness, enhance customer satisfaction, and contribute to the region’s overall economy. Full article

Enteroviruses are RNA viruses that initiate infections through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and are associated with enteric illness in individuals of all ages. Most serious infections of enteroviruses are in infants and young children where it is the common cause of aseptic meningitis and other systemic diseases, leading to a high mortality rate. Enteroviruses belong to the small non-enveloped family of the Picornaviridae family. The virus can spread mainly through fecal–oral and respiratory routes. In the Arabian Gulf countries, the incidence of enteroviral infections is only restricted to a few reports, and thus, knowledge of the epidemiology, characteristics, and pathogenesis of the virus in the gulf countries remains scarce. In this minireview, we sought to provide an overview of the characteristics of enterovirus and its pathogenesis, in addition to gathering the reports of enterovirus infection prevalence in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. We also present a summary of the common methods used in its detection. Full article

As prominent oil producers, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have played a significant role in the global energy market. However, as the world’s attention increasingly shifts towards environmental sustainability, understanding the implications of the GCC’s economic activities on CO2 emissions becomes indispensable. This research paper investigates the relationship between specific economic indicators and their impact on CO2 emissions in the GCC from 2001 to 2021. This study employs quantile regression, a robust statistical method that estimates the conditional quantiles of a response variable given a set of predictor variables. The findings reveal several essential insights: Financial institution efficiency is significant and negative at a 1% level at the lower (10th, −83,537.3) and higher quantiles (90th, −549,002.3). The relationship between the GDP per capita and CO2 emissions varies across quantiles, highlighting the complexity of the growth–environment nexus. Total patents exhibit a positive and significant relationship with emissions, underscoring the importance of directing innovation towards environmentally sustainable solutions. Renewable energy consumption displays a nuanced relationship with CO2 emissions, with a more substantial negative impact observed at higher consumption levels. This underscores the potential of renewable energy to mitigate emissions when integrated at scale. This study’s outcomes hold crucial policy implications for GCC countries as they seek to align economic growth with environmental sustainability. The findings emphasize the importance of fostering financial institution efficiency, promoting green innovation, and expanding renewable energy sources to reduce emissions. Full article

The rapid rise and widespread global adoption of cryptocurrencies in recent years has fundamentally transformed the international financial landscape, with digital assets increasingly being recognized for their potential to influence the stability and performance of traditional capital markets. Against this backdrop, this study aims to empirically investigate the impact of cryptocurrency returns on Islamic vs. conventional stock returns in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The salient distinctions between Islamic and conventional stock markets include fundamental differences in principles, investment allocations, and risk profiles, underscoring the importance of examining the impact of cryptocurrency returns on these distinct equity segments. Daily data were collected from stock indices in five GCC countries over the period 2016–2019, including two sub-periods: before and after the 2017 crypto crash. Pooled OLS, fixed effects, random effects, and generalized linear models (GLMs) were used to analyze the data collected during the study. With the GCC increasingly focusing on cryptocurrency markets, there is growing concern about these markets’ potential impact on regional stocks. This study addresses the important questions of whether the impacts of the cryptocurrency market on Islamic vs. conventional stock markets differ throughout the GCC region and how these impacts have evolved since the crypto crash period. The findings reveal that cryptocurrency returns had a negative impact on both GCC Islamic and conventional stock market returns for the full sample period (2016–2019), and the negative effect was far more pronounced for conventional stocks. For the two sub-periods before and after the crash, only the cryptocurrency market and conventional GCC stocks remained negatively correlated, while the cryptocurrency market and the GCC Islamic stock markets became uncorrelated. Thus, for the calmer sub-periods before and after the crypto crash, the rise in cryptocurrency returns may have enticed GCC investors away from conventional stocks, perhaps resulting in a decline in their investment in these stocks. Meanwhile, those who invest in Islamic stocks may not be exposed to this temptation. Full article

Qatar is on a mission to cultivate a thriving, globally competitive, knowledge-based economy, shifting away from its rentier economic model, as well as being a key international player on the world stage. This article focuses on Qatar’s social and cultural sphere, exploring the Qatari state’s vision for society in the midst of these grand agendas. Through a systematic analysis of six key national documents (KNDs), such as the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy, it extracts the state’s aspirations for its society, as well as the values or traits they are attempting to preserve or inculcate. We identify five key overarching themes in the KNDs: (1) the advancement of society; (2) the preservation of traditions and values; (3) keeping up with the Gulf, Arab and Islamic countries and the world; (4) the empowerment of women; and (5) the importance of the family. The paper concludes with an assessment of some top-down initiatives and policies that were designed to achieve these ambitious agendas, and highlights some of their pitfalls. These issues include a lack of civic participation and engagement; the need for more localisation and indigenous social innovation; and, lastly, more attention given to social dynamics, including their inter- and intra-relations, which often lead to unintended consequences. Full article

Water scarcity poses significant challenges in arid regions like the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) due to constant population growth, considering the effects of climate change and water management aspects. The desalination technologies face problems like high energy consumption, high investment costs, and significant environmental impacts by brine discharge. This paper researches the relationships among water scarcity, energy-intensive desalination, and the development of renewable energy in MENA, with a particular focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It examines innovations in solar-powered desalination, considering both solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal technologies, in combination with traditional thermal desalination methods such as multi-effect distillation (MED) and multi-stage flash (MSF). The environmental impacts associated with desalination by brine discharge are also discussed, analyzing innovative technological solutions and avoidance strategies. Utilizing bibliometrics, this report provides a comprehensive analysis of scientific literature for the assessment of the research landscape in order to recognize trends in desalination technologies in the MENA region, providing valuable insights into emerging technologies and research priorities. Despite challenges such as high initial investment costs, technical complexities, and limited funding for research and development, the convergence of water scarcity and renewable energy presents significant opportunities for integrated desalination systems in GCC countries. Summarizing, this paper emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and international collaboration by addressing the complex challenges of water scarcity and energy sustainability in the MENA region. By leveraging renewable energy sources and advancing desalination technologies, the region can achieve water security while mitigating environmental impacts and promoting economic development. Full article

Ozone in the troposphere is a pollutant and greenhouse gas. Atmospheric models can add valuable information to observations for studying the spatial and temporal variations in tropospheric ozone content. The present study is intended to evaluate the variability in tropospheric ozone and its precursors near the Gulf of Finland with a focus on St. Petersburg (Russia) and Helsinki (Finland) in 2016–2019, using the WRF-Chem 3-D numerical model with a spatial resolution of 10 km, together with observations. The diurnal cycle of the near-surface ozone concentrations (NSOCs) in both cities is caused by the variability in NO₂ emissions, planetary boundary layer height, and local meteorological conditions. The seasonal variations in NSOCs and tropospheric ozone content (TrOC) are caused by the variability in total ozone content and in ozone formation in the troposphere. The model reveals a VOC-limited regime in the ~0–1 km layer around St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and the Gulf of Finland and a pronounced NO_x-limited regime in the 0–2 km layer in the forests of southern Finland, Karelia, some Russian regions, and the Baltic countries in July. The WRF-Chem model overestimates the measured NSOCs by 10.7–43.5% and the TrOC by 7–10.4%. The observed differences are mainly caused by the errors in chemical boundary conditions and emissions of ozone precursors and by the coarse spatial resolution of the modeling. Full article

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries experience a harsh environment with low precipitation and high evaporation rates. This presents a significant challenge of water scarcity and water quality degradation which is exacerbated by land use practices. Agriculture, urbanization, and industrialization are impacting the management of water resources. This paper examines the state of water resources in the GCC countries and presents the impact of land use practices. A detailed analysis of the relationship between land use and groundwater is conducted with a focus on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Sultanate of Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results indicate a drop in agricultural activities, an increase in bare land and urban areas, depletion of groundwater, and water quality degradation. These changes were attributed to excessive agricultural and industrial uses, climate change, and rapid urbanization. The findings show the need for sustainable land use practices and water resources management. Further research addressing the impact of land use on water in Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, and evaluating the effectiveness of policy, is essential. Full article

This work examines the potential of some of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) (Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar (QA), Bahrain (BH), Oman (OM)), Yemen (YE), Iraq (IQ), and Jordan (JO) to use their abundant solar radiation to generate electricity through PV technology. The study is structured to help decision-makers access the necessary data related to the status of solar-energy infrastructure and power production in the study region. The study investigates current efforts to establish PV technology and the challenges hindering the development of this technology. These efforts and challenges are then benchmarked against their status in Australia, which has climate and landscape conditions similar to those of the countries in the study region. It was found that Australia is successfully adopting solar energy in households and industrial locations despite its historical reliance on fossil fuels for energy production. This offers a potential avenue for replicating the Australian model of PV development in the study region. This work also addresses the effect of natural and anthropogenic aerosols on the performance of the PV panels. Meanwhile, it also proposes a conceptual model to help local governments and decision-makers in adopting solar-energy projects in the study region. Additionally, a preliminary carbon-footprint analysis of avoided emissions from PV energy utilization compared to national grid intensity was performed for each country. Findings show that the countries in the study region have great potential for using solar energy to gradually replace fossil fuels and protect the environment. It is observed that more hours of daylight and clear-to-scattered cloud coverage help increase solar irradiance near the ground all year around. Dust and aerosol loadings, however, were found to greatly reduce solar irradiance over the GCC area, especially during large dust events. Despite the high potential for harvesting solar energy in the study region, only a handful of PV plants and infrastructural facilities have been established, mostly in the KSA, the UAE, and Jordan. It was found that there is a critical need to put in place regulations, policies, and near-future vision to support solar energy generation and reduce reliance on fossil fuels for electricity production. Full article