[This is a monthly roundup of news articles and other materials related to environmental issues in the Middle East. It does not reflect the views of the Environment Page of Jadaliyya.]
COP 27 Coverage
Egyptian Regime Criticized as Climate Activist Arrested in Run-Up to COP27The Guardian (2 November 2022)
Indian climate activist Ajit Rajagopal was arrested by Egyptian security forces prior to COP27, raising concern about Egypt’s human rights record and its implications for the global climate negotiations.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Nobel Laureates Call for Release of Political Prisoners in Egypt Alongside COP27 Climate SummitMada Masr (2 November 2022)
An open letter penned by over a dozen nobel laureates calls upon governments, environmental groups, and businesses to support the release of political prisoners in Egypt leading up to the COP27 summit.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
COP27 Gets off to Delayed Start after Tussle over Agenda for TalksThe Guardian (6 November 2022)
The start of COP27 was delayed due to agenda disagreements largely around the issues of loss and damage suffered by the poorest nations due to climate change.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
What Is COP27 and Why Does It matter?The Guardian (7 November 2022)
An overview of the history of the UN COP, and a summary of what is to come at COP27 in Egypt.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Welcome to Sharm el-Sheikh: President’s City, City of Peace, City of COP27Mada Masr (7 November 2022)
Sharm el-Sheikh, the location of COP27, was largely unsettled until the British occupation of Egypt facilitated mining activity in the South Sinai in the twentieth century. In recent decades the city has become a center of tourism.
Keywords: Urban Planning
COP27 Wifi in Egypt Blocks Human Rights and Key News WebsitesThe Guardian (7 November 2022)
Websites critical of the Egyptian government have been blocked on the wifi connection provided at COP27.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
From Pushing Coal to Organizing COP, the Greenwashing PR Firm Egypt Has Cozied up ToMada Masr (16 November 2022)
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has partnered with PR firm Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a company with a record of promoting coal use and helping big oil companies greenwash.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Regional News
Wars over Water in the Middle EastAl Jazeera (10 November 2022)
Dwindling supplies of freshwater could be the source of future conflicts in the Middle East.
Keywords: Water, Climate & Weather
Algeria
Climate Change in Algeria and Its Impacts Assafir Al-Arabi (5 November 2022)
The Maghreb broadly, and Algeria specifically, are experiencing temperature rises above the global average despite being one of the countries which has historically contributed the least to carbon emissions.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
A Hefty Toll to Pay: Algeria Feels the Impact of Climate Change on Wheat and BarleyRaseef 22 (16 November 2022)
Decreasing precipitation plagues farmers in Algeria, who must now delay the start of plowing season when they prepare the soil for sowing wheat and barley.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture, Climate & Weather
Egypt
Development Threatens Residents, Environment of Historic St. Catherine AreaMada Masr (3 November 2022)
Development projects threaten the nature reserve and local community around the St. Catherine World Heritage Site in South Sinai. Some sources indicate that the government failed to conduct the required environmental impact assessment reports before construction commenced.
Keywords: Historic Preservation, Urban Planning, Wildlife
Egypt's Scorching Sun: A Torment to People with AlbinismRaseef 22 (5 November 2022)
High humidity, rising temperatures, and the strong summer sun pose increasing health risks to Egyptians with Albinism as climate change progresses.
Keywords: Health, Climate & Weather
The Red Sea's Coral Reefs Defy the Climate-Change OddsNew York Times (19 November 2022)
The coral reefs off Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt are some of the only reefs globally tolerating increasing water temperatures. There are limits, however, to how much these can tolerate and some biologists fear that the reefs are facing many additional threats that could jeopardize this prosperity.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Wildlife, Water, Tourism
In Egypt, Climate Change Affects Water, Air, and People’s DestiniesAssafir Al-Arabi (19 December 2022)
Climate change has altered the arrival, duration, and intensity of seasons, impacting infrastructure, agriculture, and livelihoods.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Food & Agriculture
Selling the Suez? New Fund To Capitalize Canal’s Assets Stirs Concerns over SovereigntyMada Masr (24 December 2022)
A new government proposed fund under the Suez Canal Authority raises concern across Egypt that the fund may become a vehicle for selling the Suez Canal.
Keywords: Infrastructure
Iran
Iran’s Climate Efforts Derided as MENA Nations Take ActionAl Jazeera (10 November 2022)
Climate mitigation and greenhouse gas curtailment remain absent from Iranian government policy priorities.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Water
Iraq
Climate Change and the Water Crisis in Iraq: Indicators of Vulnerability and the Severity of Environmental ImpactAssafir Al-Arabi (21 November 2022)
Climate change, water scarcity, and poverty are propelling a cycle of environmental degradation and armed conflict in Iraq, one of the most environmentally fragile countries in the world.
Keywords: Climate CHange & Weather
Jordan, Palestine, and Israel:
Amid Israeli Blockade on Gaza, a Fishing Fleet Limps Along New York Times (27 November 2022)
Fifteen years of sea blockade along the Gaza strip and import restrictions have prevented fishermen from being able to maintain and repair the boats in the fishing fleets–a vital part of the local economy.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture
‘I Applied for Radiotherapy Nine Times and Got No Reply’: Living with Cancer in Gaza The Guardian (7 November 2022)
Restrictions on travel permits pose health risks to Gazans who have to seek critical medical treatment in Israel, Jerusalem, or Egypt.
Keywords: Health
Photos: Middle East’s Fertile Crescent Dries up as Rains Fail Al Jazeera (14 November 2022)
Decreasing precipitation in Türkiye, where the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are, has led to desertification and crop failures in Iraq.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture, Climate & Weather, Water
Zakhiku: The Ancient City in Iraq Revealed by Severe Drought Al Jazeera (15 November 2022)
Receding waters in the Tigris River have exposed the ruins of a previously submerged ancient city.
Keywords: Historic Preservation, Water, Climate & Weather
The Tour Guide Serving up Palestinian History through Food972 Magazine (8 December 2022)
The Sacred Cuisine tour through Jerusalem’s Old City introduces tourists to Palestinian stories, traditional food, and local vendors.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture, Tourism
The Dead Sea Is Dying. These Beautiful, Ominous Photos Show the ImpactNPR (11 December 2022)
Water levels in the Dead Sea are receding an average of four feet annually.
Keywords: Water, Tourism
Jordanians Continue Fuel Protests Day after ‘Rioting’Al Jazeera (16 December 2022)
Truck drivers led riots and protests in Southern Jordan in response to rises in fuel prices.
Keywords: Energy
Lebanon
Lebanon: Temperature Rises and Risks MultiplyAssafir Al-Arabi (24 November 2022)
Studies and statistics about climate change in Lebanon underline the social impacts of climate change on public health, food security, water security, and economic sectors.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Water, Food & Agriculture
Morocco
‘Preserving Oases’: The Fight for Water by Morocco Farmers Al Jazeera (11 November 2022)
Farmers blame mismanagement for decreasing water supply, as current policies favor diverting water for mining, intensive agriculture, and cooling the world’s largest solar power plant.
Keywords: Food & Agriculture, Water
Between Risks and Solutions: Where Is Morocco’s Climate Headed?Assafir Al-Arabi (1 December 2022)
Climate change is significantly impacting Morocco’s natural resources on which the country’s economy is dependent.
Keywords: Natural Resources, Climate & Weather, Water, Food & Agriculture, Energy
Photos: Climate Crisis Threatens Centuries-Old Oases in Morocco Al Jazeera (27 December 2022)
Drought conditions are impacting oasis communities in Morocco, causing many residents to relocate to the cities.
Keywords: Water, Climate & Weather
Qatar
COVID during the World Cup in Qatar: Should You Be Worried?Al Jazeera (2 November 2022)
Qatar has dropped all COVID related travel restrictions leading up to the World Cup in response to decreasing case numbers and high rates of vaccination.
Keywords: Health
China Signs 27-Year Gas Deal with QatarEnergy To Secure Supply Al Jazeera (21 November 2022)
Many Asian and European countries are looking to secure long-term LNG deals in Qatar as capacity continues to increase thanks to the North Field expansion project.
Keywords: Energy
Sudan
Climate Change Threatens Sudan’s Dream of Becoming the Region’s Breadbasket Assafir Al-Arabi (15 November 2022)
Many farmers and herders are leaving rural Sudan for urban centers as climate change produces more precarious weather patterns.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Food & Agriculture
Climate Change: What Will Happen in Sudan?Assafir Al-Arabi (14 December 2022)
Sudan has low greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is ranked as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Water
Syria
Bragging about Their "Achievements" on Facebook, Hunters Massacre Syria's Endangered Rhim Gazelles Raseef 22 (11 November 2022)
Hunting has significantly decreased the Rhim gazelle population in Sweida, despite attempts to limit the sport in the area.
Keywords: Wildlife
Syria: Any Last Survivors?Assafir Al-Arabi (29 December 2022)
Climate change in Syria is causing dramatic and hazardous fluctuations in temperature and precipitation.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Türkiye
Moscow on the Med: A Faraway War Transforms a Turkish Resort Town New York Times (29 December 2022)
Many Russians are moving to the Turkish resort town of Antalya, pricing many families out of their homes.
Keywords: Tourism
Injuries after Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Strikes Western Turkey Al Jazeera (23 November 2022)
Fifty people have been injured in a 6.0 magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks originating in Golyaka.
Keywords: Climate & Weather
Tunisia
Cancer Hitting Women Rummaging through Garbage in Tunisia and PalestineRaseef 22 (2 December 2022)
Women waste collectors are continually exposed to toxic elements and chemicals without necessary protection as they search for plastics that they can resell in garbage heaps.
Keywords: Health, Waste, Pollution
United Arab Emirates
Fears over Oil Producers’ Influence with UAE as Next Host of COP Climate TalksThe Guardian (22 November 2022)
Climate campaigners fear that petro-states hosting global climate talks may hinder the progress of negotiation and mitigation efforts.
Keywords: Energy, Climate & Weather
Yemen
Yemen: Instability Hits the Climate TooAssafir Al-Arabi (9 November 2022)
Yemen’s limited material and technical resources along with ongoing war make studying and addressing the impacts of climate change especially challenging.
Keywords: Climate & Weather, Infrastructure