There is a lack of published research on the economic effect and the risk associated with sand and dust storms (SDS) worldwide. The objectives of this study are to estimate the economic impact of SDS on the oil and gas industry in Kuwait, to estimate a risk index for each loss, and to recommend a sustainable system for the mitigation of the damaging effects and economic losses of infrastructures. Hot spots of wind erosion, wind corridors, and dust frequency and severity formed the basis to locate the most susceptible oil and gas fields and operations. Ten sectors with potential loss vulnerabilities were evaluated: exploration, drilling, production, gas, marine, soil remediation, project management, water handling, maintenance, and research and development. Sand encroachment, although not a sector per se, was also considered. The results indicate that sand, and to lesser extent dust, are damaging and costly to the oil and gas infrastructure of Kuwait, with an economic cost estimation of US$9.36 million, a total of 5159 nonproductive lost hours, and 347,310 m³ of annual sand removal. A risk assessment identified three sectors with the highest risk indices (RI): drilling (RI = 25), project management (RI = 20), and maintenance (RI = 16). Sand encroachment also constituted a high risk (RI = 25). Mitigation of sand storms using a hybrid biological–mechanical system was shown to be cost-effective with an equivalent saving of 4.6 years of sand encroachment. The hazard implications of sand storm events continue to be a major concern for policy-makers given their detrimental economic impacts, and require that government officials wisely allocate investment budgets to effectively control and mitigate their damaging effects.

The rapid growth and urbanization rate, coupled with hot climate and scarce rainfall, makes it essential for a country like Kuwait to have several power and desalination plants with high-generating capacity. These plants are entirely reliant on burning fossil fuels as a source of thermal energy. These plants are also universally accepted to be the largest CO₂ emitters; hence, they present a potential for carbon capture and storage (CCS). Having established the suitability of the existing conditions for post-combustion CCS, a techno-economic-based feasibility study, which took into consideration local power generation technologies and economic conditions, was performed. Relying on fifteen case study models and utilizing the concept of levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), the statistical average method (SAM) was used to assess CCS based on realistic and reliable economic indicators. Zour power station, offering the highest potential CO₂ stream, was selected as a good candidate for the analysis at hand. Heavy fuel oil (HFO) was assumed to be the only fuel type used at this station with affixed price of USD 20/barrel. The analysis shows that the internal rate of return (IRR) was about 7%, which could be attributed to fuel prices in Kuwait and governmental support, i.e., waived construction tax and subsidized workforce salaries. Furthermore, the net present value (NPV) was also estimated as USD 47,928 million with a 13-year payback period (PBP). Moreover, 1–3% reductions in the annual operational cost were reflected in increasing the IRR and the NPV to 9–11% and USD 104,085–193,945 million, respectively, and decreasing the PBP to 12–11 years. On the contrary, increasing the annual operational cost by 1% made the project economically unfeasible, while an increase of 3% resulted in negative IRR (−1%), NVP (−USD 185,458 million) and increased PBP to 30 years. Similarly, increasing the HFO barrel price by USD 5 resulted in negative IRR (−10%) and NVP (−USD 590,409); hence, a CCS project was deemed economically unfeasible. While the study considered the conditions in Kuwait, it is expected that similar results could be obtained for other countries with an oil-driven economy. Considering that around 62% of the fossil fuel blend in Kuwait is consumed by electricity and water generation, it is inevitable to consider the possibility and practicality of having a carbon network with neighboring countries where other oil-driven economies, such as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, can utilize a CCS-based mega infrastructure in Kuwait. The choice of Kuwait is also logical due to being a mid-point between both countries and can initiate a trading scheme in oil derivatives with both countries.

Household expenditure is the second prominent component of GDP for Kuwait, consisting of 43% GDP, and it has been moderately growing for the past decade. It is essential to understand the nature of household expenditure, a fundamental macroeconomic driver with immense significance for policymaking. This paper utilises the latest Kuwait Household Expenditure Survey data to study household expenditure patterns in Kuwait. It examines and compares the variation of household expenditure patterns for nationals (Kuwaitis) and expatriate households over nine different major commodity groups. The paper investigates the patterns of household expenditure and the response of their characteristics on the level of expenditure by employing Heckman two-step estimation method. The results suggest that different factors affect the probability of consuming a commodity and the level of expenditure between the two household groups. Kuwaiti’s expenditure is more responsive to food, housing, communication and recreation commodities and less responsive to clothing, health, transportation and restaurants than expatriates. In general, there is a significant variation of expenditure patterns across all commodities between the two household groups.

Studying zooplankton variability in coastal lagoons is crucial for environmental monitoring and preserving marine biodiversity. These organisms are highly valued as bio-indicators and helpful in identifying environmental phenomena such as eutrophication and assessing water quality. We studied the distribution of zooplankton in relation to environmental factors, phytoplankton, and ciliates in the coastal waters of the El Bibane lagoon during the summer of 2009 and 2010. Zooplankton assemblages were dominated by copepods, which represented 7389% and 9598% of total zooplankton abundance in summer 2009 and summer 2010, respectively. A total of 11 (summer 2009) and 21 (summer 2010) copepod species were identified in all stations, with an overwhelming abundance of Oithona nana in the summer of 2009 and Oithona similis in the summer of 2010. The prevalence of the two Oithona species is attributed to their adaptive strategies, which enables them to withstand environmental disturbances. Other zooplankton developed in association with an important proliferation of Cladoceran and Fish larvae, contributing 51% and 37% of total other zooplankton abundances in summer 2009 and summer 2010, respectively. The abundance of copepods or other zooplankton showed no significant correlation with phytoplankton and ciliates for both periods, suggesting an omnivorous/detritivorous diet hypothesis in El Bibane lagoon.

Conventional seawater desalination technologies are energy-intensive, highlighting the need for alternative desalination processes that can utilize renewable energy resources. Although solar-driven membrane distillation (MD) is a promising approach, its long-term performance under Kuwait’s challenging climatic conditions requires further field evaluation. The main aim of this study was to design, construct, and evaluate the technical performance and provide a preliminary capital-cost assessment of a solar-driven MD system under Kuwait’s actual environmental conditions. The optimal operating parameters for the MD system were first identified using deionized water in an electrically heated operating mode. These optimized conditions were then applied to evaluate the MD system’s desalination performance using different saline water sources. The results showed that the water flux was higher with low-salinity feedwater than with the brine sample. Following the initial trials, the MD system was integrated with a solar thermal unit and evaluated during a one-year field trial under Kuwait’s climatic conditions. The system was scheduled to operate for six hours per day, although operation was occasionally interrupted by unfavorable weather conditions and operational limitations. The experimental results demonstrated that the system produced an average of 23.42 L of distilled water per day. These findings highlight the potential of solar-integrated air-gap membrane distillation (AGMD) for small-scale seawater desalination under Kuwait’s climatic conditions. Further investigations are required to assess its scalability, environmental benefits, and socioeconomic feasibility for practical deployment.