Implementing Adaptation Strategies by Legal, Economic and Planning Instruments on Climate Change pp 305-313 | Cite as
Climate Change Effects on Agriculture and Water Resources Availability in Syria
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Abstract
The topic of climate change is nowadays announced as one of the most important subjects and challenges at the global level. Climate change is expected to have many strong effects on the global environment. Many studies show that climate change has caused a decrease in the agricultural production and in water storage in the Middle East region. For example, in the years 2007–2008, drought took place in Syria that led to a decrease in wheat production by 78.9 % in most of its areas and it reached about zero in rain-fed areas, while in the irrigated areas the average yield dropped by 31 % due to the lack of water needed for irrigation (UNDP 2008). There has been a decrease in groundwater because of a shorter period of the recharge season and the drop in water retention as of snow (Döll and Flörke 2005). Such a decrease of agricultural products and water shortage would definitely impede economic growth and create difficulties against achieving sustainable development in the countries of the region in general (Droubi 2009).
Keywords
Climate Change Impact Agricultural Sector Snow Water Equivalent Middle East Region Water Demand ManagementReferences
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