Climate Change and Jordan – Jordan Health Aid Society

Jordan Health Aid Society International announces a new initiative under the name (goodwill Ambassadors for SDG13). The initiative is about increasing awareness and knowledge about the national efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change in Jordan.

According to researches:

Jordan is located in West Asia region, and characterized by dry to semi-dry climate conditions with an annual precipitation that falls under 50 millimeters in most areas. Jordan faces several challenges with the need to import of 98% of its energy; while severe aridity and water scarcity make it environmentally sensitive to climate change. Climate-related hazards are affecting Jordan, such as extreme temperatures, droughts, flash floods, storms, and landslides.

These hazards are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change. Flooding has caused serious implications in the last years where lives have been lost, and several square kilometers of agricultural lands were destroyed in addition to sever damages to infrastructure. Landslides and erosion problems have occurred as well, and they were concentrated on the steep slopes of mountains and wadis. The impact of climate change will certainly affects various sectors including agricultural, coastal, biodiversity, urban, society, water, and health sectors.

The residents of the Jordan Valley suffer from lack of water, affecting crops and livestock, their only sources of livelihood, not to mention that they themselves cannot survive without drinkable water. Furthermore, they face restrictions on water access, imposed by the settlement expansion in the area.

The residents of the northern Jordan Valley face difficulty in accessing and transporting water, whether because of the bumpy roads on the one hand, or the restrictions imposed by settlement expansion on water sources in the area on the other hand.

The impact of the water shortage in the northern Jordan Valley is not limited to the residents of the region only, but extends to reach the livestock and vegetation cover, which are the only sources of livelihood for the Bedouin communities in the northern Jordan Valley.

The organization is going to release all details soon about the initiative.