SOMA Newsletter

Author

Soma Mater
June 08, 2026

Welcome to the SOMA MATER weekly newsletter.

At SOMA MATER, we deliver comprehensive research and advisory services focused on Food & Water Security and Net Zero Transition in the MENA Region. To help our clients navigate these topics and understand the regional narrative, we accelerate problem-solving and unlock new opportunities through Strategic Advisory and/or Projects.

This weekly newsletter highlights the top 3 stories from the past week in Food and Water Security and Net Zero transition, along with SOMA MATER's analysis and perspective.

What risks could the US–Iran conflict trigger for water security in the region?

What are the requirements of the UAE’s new Climate Change Law for organizations?

What does Saudi Arabia’s project reveal about the importance of livestock in supply chains, particularly amid rising regional costs?

Sustainably yours,

The SOMA team

Fertilizer, Forecasts, and Flashpoints: The New MENA Water Risk

#FoodandWaterSecurity

The US-Iran conflict is raising the risk of a food and water crisis. Fertilizer supply disruptions and inflation drive prices up, and an El Niño could reduce harvests. In the Gulf, millions rely on energy-intensive desalination for drinking water. At the same time, the region is warming about twice as fast as the global average, and groundwater is being depleted.

Because water and power systems are closely interconnected, water infrastructure is becoming a strategic target. An attack on water facilities can quickly reduce access to water, strain electricity supply, disrupt industry, and trigger panic buying. Foreign policy has also shifted: there is growing interest in security arrangements that do not rely on outside powers. Yet, policy frameworks have not kept pace.

The region’s water systems are also cross-border and interconnected. Experts have idnetified the region’s hydrological interdependencies and trigger geographies across borders. These include the Zagros mountains and ranges in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, and the UAE. Shared aquifers such as the Umm er Radhuma-Dammam Aquifer System span multiple countries. Without a multilateral agreement to manage shared groundwater, competition could increase regional instability.

SOMA’s Perspective:

Water in the Middle East is highly interconnected. Cross-border aquifers mean one country’s pumping decisions can create a future crisis in another. Despite this, countries still manage water largely in isolation, which has slowed progress. Water security in the Gulf cannot be treated as a solely national portfolio. The lack of regional rules for monitoring, allocation, and enforcement can become a major point of contention.

Sources:

Emission Meet Enforcement: The UAE Climate Law Is Here

#NetZeroTransition

The UAE issued Federal Decree Law No. (11) of 2024 on the Reduction of Climate Change Effects (the Climate Change Law) in August 2024. The law came into effect in May 2025 and requires all entities in the UAE to measure and disclose GHG emissions, including businesses in free zones. It also requires reporting on both existing and planned emissions reduction measures. Penalties can reach up to AED 2,000,000 for first offenses.

Emissions are turning into reportable metric. It begins with measuring emissions, preparing emissions inventories, and submitting periodic reports. Companies must also keep robust records, retaining and maintaining emissions documentation for at least 5 years so it can be reviewed. This will require companies to gather activity data across their operations and apply recognized emission factors to convert them into emissions figures.

Risk can come early in the compliance cycle. If integration with internal systems is weak or reporting not standardized, compliance could fail. The European Union Emissions Trading System was an example of this. The law also requires companies to actively reduce such emissions, through levers like energy-efficiency upgrades and clean power. For emissions that cannot be avoided, it encourages participation in carbon markets, supported by the National Carbon Credit Registry.

SOMA’s Perspective:

Carbon reporting is becoming regulator-enforced compliance, with real financial and reputational consequences. For businesses operating across MENA, this provides a preview of where policy is heading regionally, making credible measurement and decarbonization planning a competitive necessity.

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Livestock: From The Slaughterhouse to Supply Chain

#FoodandWaterSecurity

Saudi Arabia launched a model livestock city project in Makkah. It is the first model slaughterhouse designed to process carcasses and organic waste during Hajj. The project targets a 100% landfill diversion rate with units for processing blood and fat and offal. The supply will meet the increased Hajj demand, supported by 22 million sheep, 7.6 million goats, 2.2 million camels and 510,000 cattle.

The goal is for waste to be an input for new value chains. It aims to convert waste, which is about 45% of slaughtered animal mass, into outputs like organic fertilizers, protein powders, and animal feed components. Livestock waste remains high. About 12% of sheep and goat body weight becomes waste, compared with 43% for cattle. Much of this is still dumped in pits or open fields. Despite animal waste being a viable biomass feedstock, it is only about 3% of the biomass sources used for bioenergy generation.

In Egypt, livestock was also a highlight. Eid sacrifice costs have risen due to inflation, exchange-rate volatility, and geopolitical tensions. Egypt’s feed industry is still heavily reliant on imported maize and soybeans, making it vulnerable to disruptions from the current conflict. Local animals have become costlier than charity-imported animals, with imported-meat vouchers costing about $133, compared with about $181 for local meat. Globally, food prices have been rising for months.

SOMA’s Perspective:

Livestock has been an increasingly important sector for the MENA region. Rising demand is colliding with a feed system that is heavily import-reliant and exposed to shipping shocks. This puts the foundation of agriculture at risk. Egypt is offering an early signal of how global volatility is starting to reflect in household food bills.

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