Water Conflicts and the Spatiotemporal Changes in Land Use, Irrigation, and Drought in Northeast Syria with Future Estimations
Publisher: International Journal of Water Management and Diplomacy
Author(s): Fulya Aydin-Kandemir and Dursun Yildiz
Date: 2022
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes, Disasters, Land, Renewable Resources
Countries: Syrian Arab Republic
Climate change cause instability for conflict zones in the coming years with potential socio- economic consequences in addition to environmental impacts. Decreasing water resources and rural land usage force people to migrate from rural to urban areas due to low productivity in agriculture and animal husbandry, rising food prices, and decreasing wealth levels. This study evaluates climate change impacts on northeast Syria, relatively a wetter climate zone of Syria. Within the scope of the study, it was determined to what extent land use changes and agricultural patterns throughout the region affect water use (mainly groundwater) in addition to addressing the effects of climate change on the scale of drought. Just like in this study, revealing the possible relations between the previous regional conflicts and the changes in land use, drought, and water use will be beneficial in terms of evaluating the possible threats in the future. Obviously, the changes in land use, the increase in irrigated agricultural areas, and the intensive groundwater use make the experienced situation worse. Additionally, it will be undeniable that the effects of climate change are one of the most pressing political and economic challenges in the region since the drought has also exacerbated these problems. Therefore, it is worthwhile to evaluate the potential future threat of the spread of conflicts experienced before. In entire Syria and the northeast region, it is required more attention to adapt climate change effects on water resources to peace and security.