Eleventh International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Variations in weather patterns have recently intensified as can be seen in the extreme events the whole world is witnessing, including the Middle East. In addition to these changes in weather patterns, the Middle East experienced man-made factors that aggravated the effects of changing weather. Wars have been raging in Syria and Iraq for many years. Iraq’s share of rainfall is very negligible and the country is almost entirely dependent on both the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers for its water needs. Syria receives some rain but the agriculture communities in the eastern part of the country are very much dependent on the waters of the Euphrates River to irrigate their crops. Coupled with decreased amount of rainfall was decisions made by Turkey, where both the Tigris and Euphrates originate, to heavily dam the rivers. Gigantic dams were constructed north of the borders of Syria and Iraq resulted in depriving the rivers of significant amount of their flow. The Ilisu Dam was constructed on the Tigris near the border with Iraq, and the Birecik Dam was erected on the Euphrates just north of the border with Syria. Furthermore, several other dams are presently under construction as part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, which includes the building of 22 dams and 19 power plants that could cut water flow into Syria and Iraq by fifty percent. This paper aims to show how water shortage sparked conflicts that have been burning for years, and will probably keep burning for some time.