From palm trees to sand.. How is climate change destroying green Yemen?

Yemen is facing severe droughts and floods, a dangerous combination of disasters for a people already suffering from severe food insecurity.

About fifteen years ago, there was a small village in Hadhramaut called “Al-Makhbiyyah,” a name that literally means “the hidden one.” It seems that this name was given to it because a forest of palm trees surrounded this village on three sides to the point that it was difficult to see the village.

Today, that palm forest no longer exists, and some families have abandoned the village; this is just one example of the many Yemeni communities that have been affected by climate change, and whose bright green color has been replaced by the miserable color of sand and mud.

Water scarcity and desertification are some of the most complex challenges facing Yemen; the country suffers from chronic water scarcity and high rates of desertification, not to mention natural disasters such as floods and droughts and changes in weather patterns such as rising temperatures. All of these challenges negatively affect the country’s infrastructure, economy, food production and the spread of diseases; reflecting a bleak future for Yemenis who are being relentlessly pushed to the brink of famine.

Desertification and deforestation in Yemen is estimated to have increased from 90% in 2014 to 97% in 2022. During this year’s dry and rainy season in Yemen, temperatures rose sharply in June, and the country experienced a lack of rainfall before rains hit later in July and August, severely impacting agriculture and the livelihoods of rural populations.

This year’s severe drought has strained crops and reduced productivity, forcing many farmers to suspend their farming activities. Others have resorted to increasing pumping from wells, threatening long-term water resource deterioration.

The high temperatures and increased dust also exacerbated health problems, especially among the elderly and those with respiratory diseases. Later, during the rainy season, torrents and floods damaged large areas of agricultural land, which negatively affected food production in Yemen and thus increased food prices.

Internal displacement, harm to IDPs and pressure on host communities’ resources are also serious consequences of climate change. Today, there are an estimated four and a half million internally displaced people in Yemen, with conflict often the primary driver of displacement, but we cannot ignore the impact of climate change on people’s livelihoods.

According to a study published by the United Nations Development Program in late 2023, Yemen faces complex and multifaceted development challenges, and climate change acts as a multiplier of uncertainty with the potential to seriously constrain the country’s future.

The study indicates that if the scenario of continued climate change in Yemen occurs without any intervention capable of changing its course, the country will lose $93 billion in GDP by 2060.

Heavy rains in Yemen during this year’s rainy season could be a stark reminder of the catastrophic damage, with severe flooding killing at least 97 people in July and exacerbating food shortages for millions more already displaced by years of war.

Floods have also affected at least 56,000 homes across Yemen, with more than 33,000 families already affected since the monsoon season began in mid-July.

Accordingly, efforts should focus on training local communities to manage water resources and improve their use efficiency. This can be done by conducting a comprehensive assessment of water resources and developing integrated water management plans, in addition to applying modern irrigation techniques, rehabilitating water infrastructure and encouraging drought-resistant agriculture.

This can then be followed by interventions that can be more costly and implemented in the long term, such as diversifying water sources through rainwater harvesting projects and even seawater desalination plants and using treated wastewater. Finally, plans should include programmes to combat desertification, visit green areas and raise awareness in the community about the importance of rationalising water consumption and preserving the environment.

The success of saving Yemen from the current and future water scarcity crises depends on stopping the conflict in the first place, providing financial and technical support from donor countries and international organizations to implement water projects, building partnerships with other countries facing similar problems to exchange expertise and technology, in addition to increasing community participation to better understand the problems and priorities and adopt the most effective solutions.

• Munir Bin Waber is a journalist and content creator who holds a BA in Media, Public Relations, from the University of Science and Technology in Yemen, and a MA in International Relations, Strategy and Security, from Jandal University in India. He is the founder of Yemen Watcher, an organization concerned with Yemeni affairs.
• Source: The Washington Institute