The environmental movement, or the ecology movement, includes conservation and green politics. It advocates the sustainable management of resources and care of the environment through changes in public policy and individual behavior. Also, it considers human beings as a participant in, rather than the enemy of, ecosystems, and entails the countries to consider at least three types of rights: property rights, citizens' rights, and the nature's rights; but it varies from country to country. For instance, countries in the Middle East and North Africa have different adaptations of this movement.

Countries with high incomes on the Persian Gulf rely heavily on energy resources in the area. Initial level of environmental awareness was the creation of a ministry of the environment. The year of its establishment is indicative of the level of engagement, e.g. Saudi Arabia was the first to establish environmental law in 1992 followed by Egypt in 1994, while Somalia lacks any environmental law. In 2010, the Environmental

Performance Index ranked Algeria as the top Arab country at 42 out of 163; Morocco was placed at 52 and Syria at 56. The index also measures their ability to actively protect the environment and their citizens’ health. This weighted index is created by giving 50% weight for environmental health and 50% for ecosystem vitality; the scale ranges from 0 to 100. No Arab countries were in the top quartile; seven countries were in the lowest quartile.