Climate Change and Water Resources in the Middle East: Socioeconomic Impact

Moderator: Eva van de Rakt

Panelists: Václav Cílek, Peter Thum, Hamed Asaf

 

 

 

Eva van de Rakt as moderator introduced the panelists: Václav Cílek, Czech writer and geologist, American Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Fonderie47 Peter Thum and Lebanese representative of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Hamed Asaf.

 

Hamed Asaf began his presentation by stressing that water scarcity in the Middle East is an everlasting problem which dates back to the dawn of civilization and warned that the problem will escalate if action is not taken now. The Middle East, according to Mr. Asaf, is continually losing moisture and there is currently a major reduction in rainfall levels. He warned that the rising birth rate is making adaptation even harder. Mr. Asaf spoke cautiously about close relations between countries such as China and Sudan. Such relationships could be problematic in regards to possible conflicts between Sudan and Ethiopia, because it would also involve Middle Eastern countries such as Israel or Saudi Arabia. In his concluding remarks, he suggested we examine how countries approach water problems, saying that we should learn from history and look at how the people of Petra had “behaved” towards water.

 

Mr. Cílek warned of increased evaporation and the growing number of people living in oases thereby putting more pressure on existing water sources. Peter Thum added that at present no one is especially worried about what is going to happen in the next few years. All speakers were agreed on the basic principle of shared responsibility that all players in the Middle East must take. Mr. Cílek proposed that the water infrastructure needs improvement, together with a reduction in fertilizer usage. He nevertheless concluded that the major obstacle to resolving the water situation in the Middle East was a political one. He was concerned that the current governments in the region are neither willing nor able to deal with the problem effectively. Mr. Cílek also mentioned that nuclear power was a possible option for improving the difficult situation in the region.

 

Peter Thum proposed a reduction in Jordanian agriculture, which is becoming too expensive. But Mr. Asaf added that this would of course bring problems to farmers and their families.

 

All speakers were agreed on the application of unpopular steps such as raising taxes in order to allocate more money for water management. But all were aware of governments’ unwillingness to implement such steps. As an example, Mr. Asaf talked about the water deficit in Beirut and the plans to deal with the problem where the solution is not supported by Lebanon’s political representatives.