Egypt, SEKEM, and Climate Change

Egypt faces significant threats to national security and competitiveness due to climate change, specifically regarding energy, water, and food security. The authors present SEKEM, a company using biodynamic agriculture and a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard, as a private-sector model for adaptation and mitigation. The paper advocates for a national 'Green Transformation' in Egypt that integrates technologies and policies across sectors to ensure long-term resilience and job creation.

• Egypt is highly vulnerable to climate change, which creates pressures on national security and economic competitiveness through threats to energy security, water security, and food security. Specific risks include sea-level rise affecting the low-altitude Nile Delta, declining precipitation, and the need to create over one million new jobs annually for a growing young population.
• SEKEM employs biodynamic agricultural methods to achieve both climate mitigation and adaptation. These methods are noted for having lower greenhouse gas emissions and higher carbon soil sequestration potential than conventional agriculture, while improving resilience through water efficiency and drought-resistant crops.
• SEKEM manages its sustainable development using a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) called the 'Sustainability Flower'. This tool tracks performance across four dimensions—ecology, societal life, cultural life, and economic life—using indicators based on the Global Reporting Initiative standard to set targets and measure progress.
• The authors argue that Egypt requires a comprehensive 'Green Transformation' strategy rather than fragmented 'green' elements in existing sectoral documents. This integrated approach should focus on areas such as renewable energy, water conservation, and green industry, framing them as drivers for job creation and energy independence rather than mere efficiency improvements.

APA

Abouleish, H., Keitel, M., & Boes, P. M. (2010). Egypt, SEKEM, and Climate Change. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-8-response-1.pdf

Chicago

Abouleish, Helmy, Matthias Keitel, and Philipp Maximillian Boes. Egypt, SEKEM, and Climate Change. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-8-response-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Abouleish |first1=Helmy |last2=Keitel |first2=Matthias |last3=Boes |first3=Philipp Maximillian |title=Egypt, SEKEM, and Climate Change |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-8-response-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{abouleish2010egypt, author = {Abouleish, Helmy and Keitel, Matthias and Boes, Philipp Maximillian}, title = {{Egypt, SEKEM, and Climate Change}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-02/wrr-2010-11-question-8-response-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }