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Erasmus Mundus Climate
Change Conference
Budapest 26-27 Feb 2009
“Effect of Climate Change on the
middle eastern regions ”
Anas Zyadin
Jordan
Warming up of the earth
CC Level of Consequences
• Habitat Level : Immigration season,
Mating season , Flowering season..etc
• Ecosystem level: Meadows ,
Peatlands , Riparian zones, Rangelands ,
swamps , lakes
• Global Level : Catastrophes
Flooding, Hurricanes , Drought , heat waves ,
Storms and Desertification
Middle East says something !
Desertification
• Delay and shortage of
Rainfall
• Severe Heat Waves
•Severe Sand Storms
• Excessive
Evapotranspiration
• Increase Area of
Desertification
Climate change features in
middle east
1 - Delay and Shortage of Rainfall
Year
First Shower From the
Average
2000
10th-October
75%
2001
19th-October
70%
2002
2-November
65%
2003
15th-November
60%
2004
10th – January
55%
2005
15th –January
50%
2006
20th –January
50%
2007
25th –January
< 50%
2008
3rd – February
<50%
2009
10th – February
< 50%
Source: Department of Meteorology, Jordan, 2009
•
severe shortage of fresh
water
•
less water for irrigation
•
less water in dams
Worst years ever
Fresh Water Shortage
1- Less Water for home usage ( No more showers !!!!!)
2- Excessive ground water draw
3- High Salinity of ground water
4- decreased areas of agriculture ( No enough water)
5- decreased areas of crops (barely and Wheat)
2- Severe Heat Waves
1- Twice a month mainly July and August and may last for a
week !
2- Could reach 45 degree Celsius even 50 degrees in
Jordan Valley, Gulf of Aqapa, Baghdad , Saudi Arabia ,
Kuwait
3- increase rate of Transpiration , Evapotranspiration ,
4- Results include ; vegetation dieback, Drying up surface water
2- Heat Waves effects
1- Excessive Evapotraspiration :
We are loosing the Dead Sea (lowest point on earth) 1 meter
each year ; 22 meters already lost, nature2000
3- Desertification and Drought
1- Land deterioration and loose of vegetation
2- Lose of environmental niches (lizards, snacks, scorpions, foxes,
rabbits, wild birds ..etc
3- increased area of desertification
Low Grazing Capacity
4- sand storms
 Fine sand articles’ movement anchored by
strong wind and low vegetation cover
 Block roads and Traffics
 Respiratory system problems
Overall Effects
1- Low Agriculture Products ( shortage of food )
2- Shortage of Feeds for livestock ( no natural vegetation)
3- threat to forests ,rangelands and shrublands (fires )
4- Farmers are negatively affected throughout the year
5- Water crisis : Political arguments ( rivers and dams establishment)
6- economic shrink ( less subsidies for the agriculture sector)
7- water shares ( Syria , Jordan , Israel and Palestine )
8- lose of environmental treasures
9- land abandonment ( Badwin and nomad )
10- High Poverty and unemployment rate ---more social problems
Case Study, Jordan
1- Jordan is one of the driest countries in the world (ranked 3)
2- liter of bottled water is more expensive than liter of fuel
3- Shares of water are modest and we buy water from Syria
4- Agriculture sector is in the ICU
5- we are scared of the future
The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate
Change is an amendment to the
international treaty on climate change,
assigning mandatory targets for the
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to
signatory nations.
What to do ?
1- Support : Al Ghor, NGOs , Technology , clean energy, ceasing
clear cutting , sanction on heavy carbon producers
2- Climate Change World Bank : Carbon Tax
Research, help affected countries
3- Predicts future changes to avoid catastrophes
4- Cry on what we did and say Goodbye to Nature !
Social crisis
Agriculture
crisis
Environment
Economical
crisis
Fresh water
Climate Change
Energy
Livelihood
Precipitation
Political crisis
Questions?
Badwin
Dead Sea
Jordan
Grazing Capacity
Arid Forests
Desert
Land use
Fresh Water