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On Euphrates, Global Warming Beginning To Mirror Bible’s ‘End of World’ Scenario
May 16th, 2026
Via The Cool Down, a look at the dire condition of the Euphrates River: The Euphrates River, a waterway closely tied to both early civilizations and biblical history, is shrinking rapidly as rising global temperatures, prolonged drought, and heavy water use increasingly strain freshwater supplies in the Middle East. That has renewed interest in a […]
Read more »The Looming Climate and Water Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa
March 9th, 2026
Via Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a look at why addressing MENA’s water scarcity and improving water management will be immensely important for ensuring the region’s stability, sustainability, and well-being in the face of a changing climate: Introduction The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is naturally prone to being hot and dry, in […]
Read more »Syria’s Environmental Woes Fueled Its Long Conflict. Left Unaddressed, They Will Do So Again.
February 28th, 2026
Via New Security Beat, a look at Syria’s environmental woes: I recently returned to Syria for my first peacetime visit. Unsurprisingly, the country is an awful mess. The destruction is somehow slightly more conspicuous than it seemed through a number of trips between 2014 and 2022. People’s exhaustion is palpable, and the economic situation is […]
Read more »Drought-Hit Syrian Farmers Could Get Help As Sanctions Lifted
May 22nd, 2025
Via Reuters, a report on how drought-hit Syrian farmers could get help as sanctions lifted: UN body reports 75% of Syrian wheat crops projected to fail Syria relied on Russian wheat imports – now disrupted Sanctions relief could revive Syria’s agriculture sector Severe drought in Syria this year could lead to the failure of an […]
Read more »The Drought That Felled Assad
January 9th, 2025
Via Foreign Policy in Focus, commentary on the impact that drought played in Syria’s recent revolution: The meteorological drought that swept through the Fertile Crescent (stretching from the Tigris and Euphrates to the Nile Valley) in the 2000s finally ended up undoing the Assad regime in Syria and forcing Bashar al-Assad to flee to Moscow under […]
Read more »The Looming Climate and Water Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa
April 19th, 2024
Via Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a look at the looming climate and water crisis in MENA: INTRODUCTION The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is naturally prone to being hot and dry, in stark contrast with the rest of the world. The region’s arid climate is the primary contributor to its perennial state […]
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