Tag Archives: Syria

New study: Recent drought eastern Mediterranean (Levant, incl. Syria) worst since Middle Ages, but complicated story

Droughts, or rather ‘air subsidence, hence low precipitation and high evaporation’ belong to the subtropics – therefore much of North Africa and the Middle East is covered by (semi) desert. What is a concern though, is possible further drying due … Continue reading →

Science short: Does climate change increase risk of conflict? Yes – says this metastudy

In 2014 a Stanford University research group reviewed 55 scientific studies to investigate whether climate change significantly increases the risk of intergroup conflict. Their conclusion is that it does:

The Syrian drought of 2006-2010 fits in climate trend of lower precipitation and higher temperatures, this graph shows

Over 2006 to 2010 a prolonged drought, unprecedented in modern documented history, caused a farming collapse in Northeastern Syria. Winter rainfall in the otherwise green & productive ‘Fertile Crescent’ decreased by at least a third in Syria (and up to … Continue reading →