A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

The Worsening Environmental Impact of the War in Gaza

The Gaza Strip has long been uniquely vulnerable to the climate crisis, with rapid temperature increase and decreasing rainfall plaguing this whole region. Even prior to the current conflict, NGOs in the region and the UN have warned that climate change would be devastating, particularly for food and water security in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Gaza’s existing environmental vulnerability is exacerbated by the ongoing conflict. Explosives create carbon emissions and damage the physical environment, creating ground and air pollution. The destruction of Gaza’s existing water infrastructure also has harmed the environment. All of these have worsened the present dire humanitarian situation and contributed to long-term environmental concerns.

Environmental concerns may provide an opportunity for diplomacy, however, due to shared concern and common interest between regional stakeholders. Yet ongoing armed conflicts since 2007 continue to make such cooperation extremely difficult, and inaction only worsens the impacts of the climate crisis in Gaza.

READ |A Reminder from Israel and Gaza on the Importance and Limitations of Environmental Peacebuilding

Seeking Water in the Face of Increasing Shortages

Currently, 2.4 billion people live in water stressed countries. By 2025, one third of the global population will experience water stress. This existing problem of will only worsen as the climate crisis becomes more severe and the global population continues to grow.

Freshwater is normally obtained through groundwater aquifers, but overexploitation, longer dry seasons, and drought now are forcing many countries and communities to consider novel water sources. Capturing fog droplets, recycling wastewater, utilizing desalination technology, and cloud seeding are among the innovative methods being deployed to do so.

Searching for new sources of water is necessary for many nations. However, experts argue that communities should instead focus on improving water management to utilize existing resources more efficiently. This approach can avoid negative consequences associated with some technological innovations in water production, while also creating sustainable water sources.

READ |When It Comes to Water Scarcity, Population Growth Tops Climate Change

Tracking Climate’s Impact on Human Health

Climate change will continue to have devastating impacts on human health. Yet which of these extreme weather events pose the greatest hazard? A World Economic Forum analysis reveals floods posed the most acute risk to climate-induced mortality, followed by extreme heat events.

The report analyzed both the human health impacts of the climate crisis as well as its economic implications. It estimates that by 2050, climate change will cause 14.5 million additional deaths and cost $12.5 trillion in global economic losses—including $1.1 trillion in extra costs to already increasingly-burdened healthcare institutions.

Climate impacts will also exacerbate global health inequalities that disproportionately impact women, children, elderly, and disabled peoples among other groups, particularly in Africa and South Asia. The WEF report recommends taking immediate, comprehensive, and collaborative action before the crisis worsens beyond reparation.

READ |Connecting the Dots: Women’s Economic Empowerment and Reproductive Health