As world leaders gathered for COP28 in the UAE over the past two weeks, so too did protestors calling for “climate decolonisation” and a ceasefire in Gaza. At the time of writing, the death toll in Gaza now stands at 18,000, over 70 percent of whom are women and children.
Given the vast loss of life and devastation, it feels strange to be thinking and writing about the environment at this time. Indeed, an immediate ceasefire must be agreed to ensure the safety of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid. When humanitarian suffering is so vast, and people are struggling for survival, environmental issues are understandably sidelined.
We suggest, however, that the vast and long-reaching environmental consequences are also a humanitarian concern, and thus must remain on the agenda.
As a measure of environmental challenges and concerns across the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), international bodies including the World Bank and EU have invested heavily in energy, water resilience and waste management projects. The World Bank has contributed US$32 million to the Gaza Solid Waste Management programme, and another US$10 million for wastewater treatment. The EU signed €200 million worth of agreements to support environmental work.
Still, the environmental sector has struggled due to the lack of resources, and historically poor management that has been hampered by the legislative, administrative and security restrictions associated with the occupation, including the illegal siege on Gaza. The challenges have increased exponentially since 7 October.
Immediate effects of destruction in Gaza
In less than seven weeks, the destruction of Gaza is comparable to that of German cities during the Second World War. This destruction of city and urban systems and infrastructure has impacted the already stretched resources that were in place to deliver services to residents. The major environmental problems the population in Gaza are facing include:
- Access to clean water and destruction of water networks and desalination facilities: residents do not have access to clean water, and water cannot reach the houses as infrastructure is destroyed.
- Energy deficiencies and dependence on fossil fuels: Gaza is now receiving approximately 4 percent of the fuel it used to receive before the war. It has significantly reduced the functionality of essential services and the infrastructure that relies on fuel, including desalination plants, sewage pumps, hospital operations, and the day-to-day work of Gazans. Gazans have had to revert to old modes of fuel including burning wood and other materials (some creating toxic fumes).
- Sewage overflow and destruction of sewage networks: About 72% of homes were connected to the sewage network, and now, sewage is flowing freely in the streets because of attacks on urban areas. As energy is depleted and power networks are disrupted, water pumps become non-operational and sewage treatment plants stop working, resulting in the dumping of untreated sewage into the Mediterranean and further destruction to the water and sea life.
- Accumulation of solid waste: municipalities in Gaza are unable to perform their functions due to the high risks associated with mobility in a war zone compounded with severe fuel shortages that have grounded many of the municipal vehicles.
- Accumulation of debris resulting from the destruction of buildings and resulting pollution from rising dust: with the destruction of nearly 42 percent of Gaza residential buildings, streets are now filled with rubble. The Gaza Strip does not have the resources, nor the machinery needed to deal with such amounts. One of the immediate results of the collapse of buildings is the rising of cement dust that contributes to the pollution of the air in the surrounding area. This also rises whenever there are subsequent bombings of the area or vehicular motions.
- Contamination of groundwater sources by sewage and toxic substances from explosives: The Palestinian Water Authority has already warned against Israeli plans to flood the Gaza tunnels with seawater and the catastrophic impact that would have on the groundwater aquifer of the Gaza Strip and the efforts for its rehabilitation. The impact of contamination from the toxic materials from the explosives has yet to be assessed, but studies indicate considerable long-lasting effects.
These issues will impose staggering difficulties for Gazans who will be inundated by rebuilding their lives in the short and long-term.
Rehabilitation needs to address environmental impacts
Reconstruction efforts need to address the immediate needs of the population as it heals from the destruction, as well as tackling long term policy challenges.
Gazans will need to tend to the immediate health impacts resulting from environmental degradation. The WHO has already warned about the increase in diseases related to skin infections due to lack of access to clean water, respiratory infections due to dust and seasonal infections – as well as the side effects of malnutrition.
On the policy level, all new urban developments need to be guided by high environmental guidelines and standards. There is an opportunity to adopt new systems in water management, rainwater capture, treatment, and use of wastewater; as well as new technologies in energy. Energy outages amid flareups of violence have shown that dependency on fossil fuel needs to be minimised and a transition to solar power facilitated. This will cut the dependence on external imports of fossil fuels, allow Gazans more control over the energy sector, and reduce pollution.
Solutions inspired by Palestinian heritage and resilience
Environmental solutions should include both traditional and community-based mechanisms for mobilisation and leadership. Historically, Palestinians have developed creative coping mechanisms to overcome hardships of occupation. In Gaza, at the moment, youth-led initiatives are serving the community, for example developing small seawater desalination facilities to provide much-needed drinking water as well as taboons (a traditional mud and clay oven that uses wood or dried animal manure as a source of energy) and assisting in collecting firewood for their operation.
Women in particular have overseen the pooled management of scarce resources, including managing the scarce water available, to ensure it is enough for household needs (or displaced families). Priority is given to keeping clean water for drinking and cooking, cleaning and washing up. Given the very limited quantities available, this is an insurmountable task.
Such initiatives can see people through difficult times by drawing on traditional knowledge and approaches to meet immediate needs. But this form of collaboration also strengthens identities and the resilience of communities under attack. This lays the ground for a strong sense of community that assists future efforts to rebuild what has been destroyed.
Environmental protection is vital for justice
Gaza had already suffered under the decades-long siege and with the resulting destruction it does not have the required resources to address this calamity on its own. The siege must be lifted, and access to required resources allowed to move into Gaza unhindered.
This will require international efforts and collaboration. As such, the environmental future for Gaza will include the contributions of both international and local actors. We suggest that this reconstruction will be strengthened when grounded in a sense of heritage. Centring the environment in a way that reflects the history and places of Gaza is integral to grow justice for people and for nature.
