Climate change in Syria, mitigation and adaptation
Syria is facing what may be the most intense war ever, a war for the ability to continue living and obtaining a livelihood. Who is our enemy this time? It is climate change, which obstructs Syria’s recovery and exacerbates the burdens on the most vulnerable groups.
Climate change
It is a change in climate that occurred as a result of global warming caused by increased emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide resulting from human activities, fossil fuels using, forests burning, which were the largest carbon sinks. This increase is measured at about 22 billion tons annually, half of which is released into the atmosphere and the soil and hydrosphere absorb the rest.
Atmospheric gases, especially carbon dioxide, absorb infrared rays coming from the sun, thus reducing the percentage of rays reflected from the Earth and trapped in the atmosphere. As a result, the Earth’s temperature rises, creating global warming, which leads to a change in the global climate, the effects of which affect the entire planet and are called the greenhouse effect
Climate change hits the most vulnerable
As a result of the difficult conditions experienced by these groups, their ability to adapt is almost non-existent, or they are forced to adopt negative adaptations such as selling land or buying water tanks at high prices, or even selling their livestock and migrating to the city searching for livelihood resources.
Farming is the only source of livelihood for many farmers. The farmer allocates all his savings for it and plants his hope with his seeds, his hope for a good season that will protect him from poverty and need and guarantee him a decent life.
What is happening in Syria as a result of climate change? Let us remember together
Recently, Syria has witnessed a high frequency of severe heat waves and winds resulting from climate change, which resulted in many fires that broke the hearts of farmers by losing their seasons, and forced some to become workers for others to secure their living needs. Some were forced to sell their lands or use the seeds allocated for planting for family consumption, and others found no alternative solution but to migrate to the city.
- These fires occurred in most Syrian regions. In Sweida, many fires affected wheat, barley plains and many trees.
- Another one affected the mountainous lands in the Latakia countryside, destroying their forests and crops as a result of the intense heat and winds.
- Fires were not the only weapon of climate change on Syrian farmers. The lack of rain or rainfall at the wrong times, and severe storms such as the one we recently witnessed in Latakia, caused the loss of their crops and a decline in their production.
- In Homs, the production of one dunum of wheat, which is the main ingredient for bread production, decreased from 600 kg to only 200 kg.
- Also, the high temperatures during the fall, which are close to summer temperatures, and the lack of rainfall in September, caused great damage to the olive seasons in all Syrian governorates.
- On the other hand, many farmers lost zucchini and eggplant seasons last year due to frost waves and ice formation.
- Climate change has also caused land to dry up and grazing areas to shrink, forcing livestock farmers to sell their livestock or borrow money to secure fodder for them.
- In other places, floods and torrents were the cause of losses for farmers, as happened in the southeastern and northern countryside of Raqqa as a result of the unusually heavy rainfall, the damage of which reached the point of causing loss of human life.
- We also notice an increase in insects such as the white mosquito, which is harmful to citrus crops, and which reproduce rapidly due to high temperatures and humidity.
All these issues negatively affect health, food security, nutrition, and cause of infectious diseases spreading such as malaria, cholera, and dengue fever, as global warming creates an excellent breeding ground for these diseases, in addition to sunstroke, heat stroke, and air pollution with toxic gases that may lead to death, especially for those with heart and respiratory diseases.
We should not forget that biodiversity is at risk, due to the loss of some living organisms’ habitats due to the disappearance of forests or the drying up of areas that were once humid.
Some of the stories told by farmers, along with their names and regions, can be found at the following link:
Climate change hinders recovery in Syria and increases the burdens of the most vulnerable (Ar).
Are there any solutions?
Of course, there are no radical solutions, but we can follow some strategies in order to continue our lives on this planet by mitigating and adapting to this climate change:
What is mitigation?
It is an attempt to reduce emissions resulting from human greenhouse gases in two ways: either by planting trees that absorb carbon dioxide, or by transforming to renewable energy sources (wind – solar energy) instead of fossil fuels and using them in the best possible way.
For example, transportation emissions constitute about 25% of total emissions, and our use of public transportation (buses) for long distances and bicycles or walking for short distances reduces emissions by 20 times compared to using our private cars.
We can also follow simple daily habits to mitigate, such as:
- Periodic maintenance of our private car engines to reduce the release of air polluting exhausts.
- Reducing the use of chemical cleaners and replacing them with homemade solvents made from lemon and vinegar.
- Working on the issues of (reduction, reuse and recycling) to reduce waste that releases methane gas during fermentation and carbon dioxide gas when burned.
- Using organic fertilizers instead of nitrogen fertilizers that pollute groundwater and surface water and drain large amounts of energy.
- Relying on natural pest control (planting opposites) instead of chemical pesticides.
- Moving towards the use of renewable energy (solar and wind energy).
- Relying on sustainable agricultural practices and helping to mitigate, for example, Francisco Marquez’s team at the University of California conducted a four-year study of the effects of land cover on carbon loss, and stressed the need to move towards planting olive groves as they are the healthiest, most sustainable and most profitable, and they also act as carbon sinks. They stressed that soil with high carbon concentrations facilitates the absorption of water and nutrients by plants and makes them more productive. Olive groves are a very important resource in combating climate change as they work to purify the air by turning the soil into carbon sinks.
What is adaptation?
Dealing with the consequences of climate change means that it has happened and is over, by reducing its severity and adapting to it, so that we can maintain the sustainability of life under the current conditions.
Considering Syria as an agricultural country, the damage is greater as it is suffering from water scarcity and high temperatures, so one of the adaptation solutions is to turn to climate-smart agriculture – modern irrigation methods – and smart irrigation methods because it contains remote sensing methods. It stops irrigation automatically once the soil gets what it needs, or when it starts to rain. The farmer can also, through applications downloaded on the phone, enter the type of his crop and its location, and these applications send guidance messages to the farmer, for example, it will rain, there is no need to irrigate the crops so that they do not become dormant and cause the loss of a quarter or half of his crop.
Or send him a message that the temperature will be high and the crops should be watered during these days, and this method also reduces water waste.
We can plant trees around our homes to keep their temperatures cool.
We should also think about building with specific materials and methods that maintain humidity and warmth, thus reducing the use of heating and cooling devices, and investing in projects based on alternative energy.
Ultimately, what we need most is social ethics that keep pace with the changes of this era, based on respecting the environment and knowing our rights and duties towards it, so that we do not tamper with nature as a result of our greed. Achieving these ethics is by recognizing the vitality of the interdependent relationship between man and the environment and the extent of their interconnectedness, so that we achieve a mutually beneficial.