PhilMUN 2010
14
projects in states upstream, such as Ethiopia and Kenya, have slowed the water flow downstream.26
Climate Change The availability of water resources has always been affected by changing climate patterns. Droughts and rainy seasons are caused by the unpredictable shifts in climate. For centuries, humans have needed to contend with natural forces when attempting to utilize water resources. This fact accentuates existing water scarcity issues of the present day, especially in the Middle East. In addition to typical changes in climate, more lasting effects such as global warming have an even more dire influence on water resources. Lebanon can be used as an example of a Middle East state that is significantly affected by changes in climate. In a typical year, Lebanon experiences rainfall that far exceeds the averages of other states in the region. However, changes in temperature could potentially cause the rainy season to be cut short, significantly reducing the availability of fresh water resources. More long-term implications from global warming include coastal flooding and desertification. This would prove particularly disastrous to the state as much of the population is situated along the coastline.27 In June of 2008, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change determined in their Technical Paper IV on Climate Change Water that there is significant evidence to suggest that freshwater resources are vulnerable to negative effects from climate change, and hold the potential for wide-ranging consequences for human societies as well as ecosystems.28 While these negative impacts seem inevitable, solutions have been proposed that would allow for adaptation to changing climatic effects, although such proposals are both expensive and require significant shifts in policy.
26
Roudi-Fahimi, 7. E. Bou-Zeid and M. El-Fadel, “Climate Change and Water Resources in Lebanon and the Middle East,” Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management; September/October 2002, 348. 28 Environment & Energy, “Adaptation to Climate Change,” United Nations Development Programme, http://www.undp.org/water/crosscutting/climate.html (Accessed: 7 January 2010). 27