<
https://jewishinsider.com/2023/01/israel-jordan-west-bank-river-dead-sea-climate/>
"YARDENIT, Jordan Valley – In the Bible, the Jordan River is described as a
gushing body of water, risky for the high priests carrying the ark of the
covenant to cross. Today, if the people of Israel reached these reedy banks,
they would have no problem skipping over the almost dried-up stream; their only
hesitation might be the pollution.
Over the last 50 years, the river’s annual flow has dropped drastically — from
more than 1.3 billion cubic meters per year to less than 30 million cubic
meters. The climate crisis, coupled with regional conflicts and the practical
needs of people in the surrounding countries, have turned the Jordan’s waters
into a pitiful trickle.
At the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm
el-Sheikh, Egypt, Israeli and Jordanian officials appeared to recognize the
need for action. Ministers from both countries signed what was touted as a
historic “Declaration of Intent” to rehabilitate the once-flowing river and
ensure it is sustainable for future generations.
Then-Israeli Environment Minister Tamar Zandberg, from the left-leaning Meretz
party, also described the declaration as “an expression of the connection
between Israel and Jordan, neighboring countries with a river flowing between
them.”
But such efforts by Israel and Jordan to safeguard and revive the shared stream
have been discussed before. Nearly 30 years ago, when the two countries signed
their peace agreement, provisions were laid out for rehabilitating the river,
including environmental protection, agricultural pollution control, liquid
waste restrictions and pest control. There were also plans to create nature
reserves and protected areas, as well as tourist and historical heritage sites
along the river’s banks.
As relations between the countries deteriorated, however, little changed in the
status of the iconic waterway. Israel and Jordan, along with Syria and Lebanon,
continued to siphon off much of the clean water, and conflicts – old and new –
kept cooperation and conservation from becoming priorities.
In his recent
New York Times column, Thomas Friedman, who has long touted the
environmental crisis as a factor that could ultimately force peace on the
region, referred to the declaration between Israel and Jordan and expressed
hope that it would now nudge the countries in a new direction.
Environmental activists are hopeful too."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/goodnews-global-democracy-cancer-usa-rhinos-india/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
