Global warming could have devastating effects on the UAE unless more is done to stop temperatures from rising, environmentalists said.
Summer heat could endanger lives and buildings, deter tourists from visiting and disrupt agriculture.
Flooding caused by rising sea levels threatens major cities in the region, according to academics and local green campaigners.
Residents have been asked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by driving less and using public transport amid warnings that society will be drastically affected if too little is done.
Concerns have been raised by an eight-nation report that revealed the effects of global warming were almost twice as severe as originally thought.
Dr Declan Conway, a lecturer in the school of development studies at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, one of the world's top centres for climatic research, told Gulf News over the telephone that average temperatures in the Gulf region could rise by nearly 5 degrees Celsius by 2100.
"The scientific evidence for global warming is mounting. There is a very, very strong case to say it is happening," he said. "In the Middle East, you can particularly expect greater maximum temperatures in the summer."
He warned that a hotter climate – as well as making it nearly unbearable to go outside in the height of summer – could cause roads to melt, make it harder to maintain reasonable temperatures inside offices and even affect buildings structurally.
Higher temperatures could also hinder farming and put off tourists from visiting the region, he said. Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels burned by cars, factories and power plants are the biggest causes of global warming, according to this week's report, which talked of temperature rises of 7 degrees in the Arctic over the coming century.
Habiba Al Marashi, chairwoman of the Emirates Environmental Group, agreed that the UAE was vulnerable to rising temperatures. "We have seen very abnormal weather patterns in the past few years and we had extremely high temperatures here last summer, and those could continue," she said.
"It will become more difficult and more dangerous to be outdoors during the hot months - people will be exposed to dehydration and strokes because of the higher temperatures."
Rising temperatures are likely to cause expansion of the seas and melt ice caps, which will release more water into the sea.
This will lead to higher sea levels worldwide – they are projected to rise 10cm by 2100 – and so increase the danger of flooding.
"Rising sea levels could have potentially serious effects because if you look at most population centres, they are in coastal areas that are more at risk of flooding," Dr Conway said.
"Any coastal activities are likely to be affected by rising sea levels. Ports could be more vulnerable."
Habiba said that people living in the UAE should do more to cut the amount of greenhouse gases they produce by using cars less and buying small cars instead of gas-guzzling, four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Carbon dioxide emissions per person in the UAE are among the highest of any country in the world. "It's very easy for people to buy cars here. We would like to see a quota on the number of cars per family and we should encourage public transport, particularly between the emirates," she said.
"We must remove the taboo that stops a lot of people from stepping on to a bus.
"Politicians around the globe should put their heads together with the scientists and take concrete action, otherwise we are all doomed."
