Water Insecurity is Becoming Critical for the Arab Region

A combination of nature and human activity have left many countries in the Arab region facing the possibility of severe water shortages in the near future. In some cases the water use exceeds the natural recharge rate by more than one and a half times.

A combination of population growth, lack of pricing policy reforms, an increases in household incomes, droughts and in many cases the absence of adequate water treatment facilities has greatly reduced the availability of water suitable for consumption and agricultural purposes throughout the Arab region. In some cases water use is as much as 1.5 times higher than the natural recharge rate.

According to the World Bank the Middle East and North African regions are by far the driest and most water scarce regions in the world. The global per capita average water availability is close to 7,000 cubic meters per capita, per year. The regional average for the Middle East and North Africa is 1,200 cubic meters per year. Throughout this region, however, the averages ranges between 1,800 cubic meters per person in Iran to less than 200 cubic meters per person in Jordan, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen. The regional average of available water per capita, per year is expected to plummet to only 500 cubic meters by 2025.

 

Agriculture in the region accounts for approximately 5 – 20% of the GDP yet consumes up to 90% of the available water supply, in many cases through the use of illegal wells. Yemen for example, is considered to be one of the worlds most water scarce countries; approximately 80% of the ground water supply is consumed by agriculture and in 2009 authorities discovered 494 illegal wells throughout the country.

Direct and indirect affects of climate change is expected to further complicating the problem. Some of the possible affects will be loss of coastal zones, more severe droughts and desertification, and increased groundwater salinity; this could potentially lead to an increase in epidemics and infectious diseases.

Following an assessment of the progress that is being made to combat the situation in the region Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said::

"Climate change is likely to aggravate these trends. Thus it is in the interests of nations across the region to constructively engage in the climate change negotiations as countries look to Mexico and the UN climate convention meeting later in the year,"

 

Convincing Signs of Global Warming Today

It seems that over the past two hundred years in our rush to the modern age we contributed greatly toglobal warming while doing little to protect our environment. We most now begin to take the necessary steps to slow the process or risk doing irreparable harm to not only ourselves but every living thing on this planet.

In November 2007 the U.N. panel on climate change issued a warning calling on all nations to take immediate action on global warming calling the situation "frightening" "urgent" and "dire'. With carbondioxide levels at the highest they have been in millions of years one of the greatest concerns is that human activity is accelerating the melting of the arctic ice sheets. The arctic ice melt is the most dramatic evidence of global warming and could result in rising sea levels and the flooding of millions of communities along coastlines.

In 2007 the arctic sea ice melt-rate accelerated compared to previous years shattering the record for ice loss in a single season. The remaining ice was 38 percent less than average and 23 percent less then the old record. Satellite photographs showed that the remaining sea ice was also much thinner than normal; this could result in rapid melting and the loss of even more ice. 550 billion tons of ice melted that summer alone. In August 2008 another record was broken when the ice retreated at the fastest rate ever recorded.

Greenhouse gases are necessary because they keep the planet's surface warm enough to sustain life. But, as the concentrations of these gases continue to rise the Earth's temperature is climbing to historic highs. For The past 200 years, our use of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, combined with deforestation has caused the concentrations of heat-trapping gases to increase significantly. These gases prevent heat from escaping, like the glass panels of a greenhouse

The effects of global warming are already being felt around the world say many experts. Birds are laying eggs earlier, plants are blooming earlier, migratory patterns are changing and animals that hibernate are waking earlier in the spring. Many animals are moving to higher elevations than they have in the past as well as moving closer to the north and south poles indicating warmer temperatures. One resent study shows that over 150 species have already been affected and this could easily disrupt the natural connective balance between species and also lead to extinction of many.

Shorter winters, earlier spring snow melts and longer hotter summers have scientist believing the effects of global warming are being felt in Montana. Long-term studies have also shown changes in certain plants in Wisconsin and animal hibernation patterns in Colorado. In Alaska the growth of White Spruce trees have been significantly stunted by warming temperatures and in the Arctic the reduced snow fall, less sea ice and freezing rain in winter have led to the appearance of mosquitoes and robins, never before seen in the region.

Nearly half of the total carbon on the earth’s surface is contained in the boreal forests located in Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia. Scientists now fear that increasing temperatures and human activities could be releasing this carbon. As carbon is released back into the atmosphere it adds to the greenhouse gases thus increasing the warming effect. The release of carbon has many causes including warmer temperatures leading to permafrost melting, wild fires, rotting trees and pine needles; also construction and deforestation are a big factor. The release of this carbon combined with other pollution results in higher ozone levels which in turn results additional damage to plants affecting their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, in other words, a cycle of increasing climate change.

As we all know the facts can be manipulated to support any theory one would like, “Global warming is caused by human activity”, “it’s just a natural cycle and it is not a threat to humans” or “it’s all a hoax”. The fact remains that in-action based on misguided information will result in catastrophe for future generations; however, if our actions to prevent global warming are misguided we will simply leave a cleaner world.

The Benefits of Conservation Tillage

At the Fourth World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in New Delhi, India the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization stressed the importance of moving away from the conventional intensive farming methods in use today. Shivaji Pandey, Director of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization stressed the need for change saying:

 

“The world has no alternative to pursuing sustainable crop production intensification to meet the growing food and feed demand, to alleviate poverty and to protect its natural resources, Conservation agriculture is an essential element of that intensification.”

 

Over-plowing, over-fertilizing, over-irrigating, and extensive use of pesticides results in environmental damage. These intensive farming methods are intended to increase production but actually harm the ecosystem and eventually results in lower production.

 

Conservation agriculture on the other-hand focuses on a minimal amount of soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and crop rotations. Conservation farming supports profitable farming and addresses environmental concerns and sustainability.  This eco-friendly method has been tested and proven to work in a wide variety of agro-ecological zones and farming systems.

 

Conservation tillage is an important step in conservation agriculture as a whole. When using this method the farmers allow the majority of natural plant life (grass, weeds, cover crops etc) to remain on top of the soil instead of tilling them under. The desired crops are integrated directly into the existing plant life or planted in narrow tilled rows.

 

Some of the immediate benefits of using this method for farmers are a reduction in energy, time and labor requirements for field preparation. Tractor fuel is the single largest expense associated with conventional farming, conservation farming reduces fuel usage by as much as 60%. It is also not uncommon to see labor reductions of 50-60%.

 

Long-term savings are realized through reduced equipment and maintenance cost. Conventional farming methods require moldboard plow, chisel plow, disk, rotary tiller, spring or spike tooth harrow, field cultivator, row crop cultivator, planter, tractor, and sprayer. Straight no-till farming requires only a tractor, planter, and an herbicide sprayer.

 

Environmental benefits include improved water retention, reduced soil loss, and the natural regeneration of the soil.

 

The soils natural ability to hold water is increased while loss due to run off and evaporation is decreased. The decreased water loss results in more drought resistant crops, reduced need for irrigation, and increased water conservation.

 

Soil and nutrients are lost due to wind and water erosion in plowed fields. Maintaining as little as 30% ground cover has been shown to reduced soil erosion by as much as 60%. Reduced erosion has also been shown to reduce the amount of fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides in surface water.

 

Additional benefits include the return of benifiall insects and larger amounts of organic matter returning to the soil. Insects such as earthworms increase the water flow through the soil by creating micro pores during the course of their natural activities. Decomposed organic mater in the soil gives it the proper consistency to allow water, oxygen and carbon dioxide to easily flow through it as well as adding carbon, which promotes the growth on beneficial bacteria.

 

An excellent example of conservation farming can be found in Zambia; in 1999 the government endorsed this method as a national policy after finding that small-scale farming was in crises. Conventional farming methods had led to decreased production, dependency on food aid, food insecurity, and deforestation. Currently over 120,000 farmers in Zambia have adopted this method successfully; the goal of the government is to convert 250,000 farms by 2011.

Climate Change, The Warning Signs

It seems that over the past two hundred years in our rush to the modern age we contributed greatly to global warming while doing little to protect our environment. We most now begin to take the necessary steps to slow the process or risk doing irreparable harm to not only ourselves but every living thing on this planet.

In November 2007 the U.N. panel on climate change issued a warning calling on all nations to take immediate action on global warming calling the situation "frightening" "urgent" and "dire'. With carbon dioxide levels at the highest they have been in millions of years one of the greatest concerns is that human activities are accelerating the melting of the arctic ice sheets. The arctic ice melt is the most dramatic evidence of global warming and could result in rising sea levels and the flooding of millions of communities along coast lines. This year the arctic sea ice melt rate was greatly accelerated, the melt off this summer not only broke the old record, it smashed it. The remaining ice is 23 percent less then the old record. Satellite photographs show that the remaining sea ice is also much thinner than normal; this could result in rapid melting and the loss of even more sea ice. 550 billion tons of ice melted this summer alone leading scientist to wonder if we have reached the point of no return.

Greenhouse gases are necessary because they keep the planet's surface warm enough to sustain life. But, as the concentrations of these gases continue to rise the Earth's temperature is climbing to historic highs. For The past 200 years, our use of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, combined with deforestation has caused the concentrations of heat-trapping gases to increase significantly. These gases prevent heat from escaping, like the glass panels of a greenhouse

The effects of global warming are already being felt around the world say many experts. Birds are laying eggs earlier, plants are blooming earlier, migratory patterns are changing and animals that hibernate are waking earlier in the spring. Many animals are moving to higher elevations than they have in the past as well as moving closer to the north and south poles than before indicating warmer temperatures. One resent study shows that over 150 species have already been affected and this could easily disrupt the natural connective balance between species and also lead to extinction of many.Shorter winters, earlier spring snow melts and longer hotter summershave scientist believing the effects of global warming are being felt in Montana . Long term studies have also shown changes in certain plants in Wisconsin and animal hibernation patterns in Colorado. In Alaska the growth of White Spruce trees have been significantly stunted by warming temperatures and in the Arctic the Reduced snow fall, less sea ice and freezing rain in winter have led to the appearance of mosquitoes and robins, never before seen in the region.

Nearly half of the total carbon on the earth’s surface is contained in the boreal forests located in Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia. Scientists now fear that increasing temperatures and human activities could be releasing this carbon. As carbon is released back into the atmosphere it adds to the greenhouse gases thus increasing the warming effect. The release of carbon has many causes including warmer temperatures leading to permafrost melting, wild fires, rotting trees and pine needles, also construction and deforestation are a big factor. The release of this carbon combined with other pollution results in higher ozone levels witch in turn results additional damage to plants affecting there ability to absorb carbon dioxide, in other words, a cycle of increasing climate change.

At the Bali summit on climate change the representative for the U.S. was initially opposed to giving technology to underdeveloped countries to help them fight global warming. The representative of Papua New Guinea said to the U.S. You have been ask to take the lead, if you are unwilling then leave it to the rest of us, please get out of the way. The U.S., facing opposition from almost 200 countries represented at the summit, was forced to back down and agreed to join the consensus.

Although an agreement was reached at the Bali summit there is no guarentee that this will result in action, this is basically an agreement to hold more talks and what to talk about. I believe it is obvious to most of us that action is needed to avoid doing further damage to our environment, hopefully the talks will result in this action.