Jordan and Israel's National Strategies in Addressing Water Crises

May 9, 2024, Ludovica Saccone

To begin, it is appropriate to identify what is meant by " Middle East ", an expression used since the mid-twentieth century to identify this vast area. More recent is the use of the term " Greater Middle East ", which indicates, precisely, the territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf towards the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus up to the western borders of China. It is not a simple geographical entity, but a reality steeped in history that has been forced to model itself on a great variety of political, economic and cultural factors. It can therefore be said that the Middle East is a historical-geographical region that includes the African and Asian countries that overlook or gravitate towards the eastern Mediterranean such as Turkey, Israel, Egypt etc., and those located on the Persian Gulf such as Iraq, Iran etc. (...)

De-bureaucratization of desalination plants after the 2022 water crisis

March 12, 2024, Filippo Verre

For a long time, Italy could do without desalination as a means of producing water resources. There were various reasons for this. In addition to a traditional institutional and environmental refractoriness towards this ancient technique, the abundance of fresh water along our peninsula, in various forms, meant that the institutions could almost completely ignore desalination as a valid method of supply. Until a few years ago, the abundant precipitation and the large mass of snow that every winter settled on our Alps and along the entire Apennine range guaranteed the Bel Paese an almost privileged condition from an environmental point of view. In fact, despite climate change having been a sad reality for some time now, with the related negative effects that we are all aware of, Italy until very recently (...)

The Impact of Lithium Mining on Global Water Resources

February 14, 2024, Filippo Verre

One of the main future effects of the current climate crisis is the radical change in mobility that will involve millions of people in the coming years, at least in Europe. To limit the spread of carbon emissions, responsible for the dramatic increase in temperatures that has occurred in recent decades, European cities will experience a veritable invasion of cars, scooters and electric vehicles. Car travel alone is responsible for 12% of CO2 emissions at a continental level and will have to decrease by more than a third (37.5%) by 2030 to stay in line with the objectives established by the Paris Agreement. The member nations of the EU are investing huge resources to encourage the transition to electric mobility, and at the same time technological progress promises to lower costs and increase efficiency. In this respect, it is estimated that, in Europe alone, the number of electric vehicles will grow dramatically, from the current 2 million to 40 million by 2030 (...).

Chinese Hydro-Strategy in Latin America: The Argentine Case

January 22, 2024, Filippo Verre

For over a decade, China has been very effectively enhancing hydro-strategy as a foreign policy tool. This approach is part of the expansive context of Chinese diplomacy in providing capital and manpower to build strategic infrastructure projects. In fact, there are many projects in which Beijing allocates funding for the construction of ports, airports, bridges, roads and so on around the world. The main destination of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is Africa , a continent that is nothing short of beloved given the potential growth represented by the lively Maghreb and sub-Saharan nations, where the rapidly growing demographic component plays a decisive role in terms of production potential. In addition to Africa, Asia is increasingly emerging as an area of ​​interest for Chinese FDI. Intuitively, the geographical proximity to some of the most vibrant economies in the world is pushing China to focus on the construction of key infrastructures for the development and increase of traffic (...).

Egypt and the construction of the largest artificial river in the world. Scenarios and hydro-strategic implications

July 4, 2023, Filippo Verre

The technology available to man to make technical improvements in various fields reaches new horizons every year. From a hydraulic point of view, only in the last twenty years has engineering knowledge progressed so rapidly that in many nations very daring projects have been developed, capable of revolutionizing forever the ecosystems of entire regions. To cite some examples, take the Chinese case of the Three Gorges Dam . Inaugurated in 2006, it is one of the largest and most impressive hydraulic infrastructures in the world, second in size only to the Itaipú dam, located on the border between Paraguay and Brazil. With over 2,300 meters of width, it holds the world record for the most powerful hydroelectric plant, capable of satisfying 3% of the enormous energy needs of China, a country notoriously energy-hungry to say the least (...).

Melting Glaciers: Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions

June 19, 2023, Filippo Verre

Glaciers are a key component in the water supply for many human communities. According to various statistics, the so-called " water towers " support between 1.6 and 1.9 billion people who live in mountain areas or downstream from them. The water in solid form represented by ice, once melted at the beginning of the warm seasons, plays a key role in making the precious liquid flow into rivers, streams and lakes from which many human beings - and not only - get their supplies. Climate change, a phenomenon that is increasingly growing at various latitudes of the planet, is seriously endangering the structural stability of many ecosystems that rely precisely on the water supply guaranteed by glaciers. The rise in temperatures, favored by a massive production of carbon dioxide, makes the conservation of water in solid form increasingly precarious. In this regard, recent studies conducted using satellite recordings show high rates of loss of glacial mass that have occurred over the last few decades (...).

Water and pollution: an unequal fight

February 24, 2023, Ludovica Saccone

We could define the word “pollution” as a buzz word, that is, one of those words that we hear every day and that are on everyone's lips but whose meaning is often ignored. Pollution is, in fact, an omnipresent reality that affects all our actions, from the simplest (such as surfing the Internet or turning on the light) to the most complex (such as industrial activities or traffic). Everything around us is now a source of pollution. But what is meant by pollution? Pollution is an alteration of the environment and occurs when it is contaminated by harmful waste (of both natural and human origin). It is a global environmental problem, it affects all States and has repercussions on both biodiversity and human health. In fact, prolonged exposure to pollutants, as well as drinking contaminated water for a long time, could also lead to the onset of cancer. There are various forms of pollution (...).

Israeli Technological Innovation at the Service of Water Efficiency. An Example to Follow

February 15, 2023, Filippo Verre

In a largely desert territory like the Middle East, where water is considered a commodity more precious than gold, the management of water resources holds enormous strategic value. Israel, one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world, has for many years now entrusted the fate of its water supply to technology. The results are astonishing. Today, not only does Tel Aviv no longer have water scarcity problems , but it is also able to use the vast water resources at its disposal as a diplomatic tool to increase its influence in the region. This is not a given, since many other Middle Eastern nations are struggling with serious and persistent water crises. Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, for example, located at the same latitudes as Israel, are very far from obtaining the same levels of water security achieved by the Jewish state. Damascus, in particular, suffers cyclically from water stress at various levels. According to some studies (...)

A Country Divided in Two: Kenya at the Center of the Climate Contradiction

December 13, 2022, Isabella De Baptistis

It would seem paradoxical that a country like Kenya, rich in lakes and rivers, is at the center of two phenomena that are at opposite ends of the spectrum: drought and floods . Two events that are two sides of the same coin: they are effects, albeit opposite, of what we are now accustomed to identifying as climate change. Although Kenya has vast areas of "blue gold", it is currently in the grip of a terrible drought. Since September 2022, much of northern Kenya has received 30% less rainfall than expected . Drought is not a new phenomenon for the country, which has always been exposed to this type of emergency. However, since 1999 the phenomenon has doubled: every two/three years, in fact, Kenya has to deal with a serious drought. Climate change and rising temperatures have influenced the worsening of the situation. On the one hand, an increasingly frequent and persistent drought places it in a significantly critical situation. (...)

Agronomic techniques to rationalize water use in agriculture

October 11, 2022, Mariella Pentimalli

In light of the growing problem of water resources in the world, it is appropriate to identify strategies in all fields to protect the available ones and use them in the most effective way possible. Considering that 70% of drinking water is used to irrigate cultivated fields (according to data made available by the FAO in 2022), it is necessary to identify and spread agronomic practices aimed at optimizing its use in this area. Since each cultivation environment has specific characteristics, these techniques must be chosen and calibrated appropriately taking into account multiple factors that are interconnected. Let us first examine the consequences that water stress has on the vital processes of plants : when plants do not find enough (free) water in the soil explored by their roots to counterbalance transpiration, they enter a phase of anabolic stasis, that is, they stop producing, wither and finally dry up.

Spain’s Water Policies: Industrial Desalination as a Tool to Counteract Water Deficit

August 2, 2022, Filippo Verre

The demographic future of the earth represents an epochal challenge for the management of water resources. The constant growth of the world population, combined with the progressive mass urbanization that is already taking place in many areas of the globe, will lead to enormous problems related to water stress and the environmental sustainability of entire areas. The dizzying increase in the number of human beings will increase the demand for water both to meet primary needs and in agricultural terms. In fact, to feed more people, it will inevitably be necessary to increase the production of foodstuffs, with consequent increases in the demand for water for irrigation purposes. Exploiting aquifers on a massive scale, as has been done so far in many nations, could be expensive in the long term. In fact, underground water is not infinite. Large underground water deposits could (...)

The Italian water crisis: causes, scenarios, solutions

July 13, 2022, Filippo Verre

Until about fifteen years ago, the summer season was greeted in Italy with moderate jubilation by various segments of the population. The youngest, after about nine months of school, prepared to enjoy a well-deserved break of several weeks coinciding with the arrival of warmer weather. Adults, unable to take months of vacation, with the arrival of summer headed towards their long-awaited holidays. The older generations, given the closure of schools, had the opportunity to spend time with their children and grandchildren. In short, summers of some time ago were generally considered positive, almost as a goal to aim for after months of intense study and work. Certainly, the hot – but not torrid – climate that characterized the months of July and August caused discomfort, especially in large cities. Alerts for the weakest segments of the population – children and the elderly first and foremost – were regularly issued, with the recommendation to stay hydrated as much as possible and (...)

Strategic Mobility on Freshwater: Drones and Lake Como

June 25, 2022, Filippo Verre

Only a small percentage ( about 3% ) of the water on Earth is fresh. Even less ( 1% ) is the actual water availability for human beings. Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and creeks, characterized by a relatively low salinity, are the main sources from which man draws to provide himself with the necessary water resources indispensable for life and the productive activities that are an integral part of our daily lives today. The sole source of all fresh water is constituted by atmospheric precipitation , in the various forms of rain , snow , hail , fog . These can contribute to forming internal water systems directly, or remain in solid form, if the climatic conditions allow it, forming snow and glaciers that melt due to seasonal temperature variations. The glaciers, aided by the presence of water courses that flow from mountain to valley, regularly supply the rivers and lakes whose waters, in turn, human beings use. (...)

The role of renewable sources in the Ecological Transition process: focus on hydroelectric energy

April 20, 2022, Filippo Verre

Physicist and academic Roberto Cingolani was (and still is) the first Minister of Ecological Transition (MiTE). Founded in February 2021, this ministry replaced the Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea (MATTM). The main reason for the creation of this new institutional entity, focused precisely on the concept of " ecological transition ", lies in the new approach inaugurated by Italy from an environmental point of view . An approach based on the protection of the environment and the protection of the national territory, but also aimed at the production of clean and sustainable energy in compliance with the international obligations that our country has undertaken in the fight against climate change. In this perspective, there are many documents presented in recent years by authoritative scholars and research institutions, both Italian and international, which underline a change of direction with the utmost urgency regarding the adoption of eco-sustainable production policies. (...)

The Nefarious Impact of Man on Watershed Management. The Case of Lake Victoria

April 9, 2022, Filippo Verre

With a surface area of ​​almost 69,000 km², Lake Victoria is the largest body of water on the African continent and the second largest freshwater lake in the world , second only to Lake Superior, located between the United States and Canada. Divided across the territory of three countries, Tanzania (51%), Uganda (43%) and Kenya (6%), Lake Victoria is also the largest tropical lake in the world, home to numerous animal and plant species, many of which are endemic. Although it is a very large lake, it should be noted that it is not at all deep. The average depth , in fact, stands at 42/43 meters with maximum peaks that do not exceed 84 meters . This is not much, especially if you compare these numbers with those of other large lakes. To get an idea, keep in mind that Lake Baikal, a large Russian body of water located in southern Siberia and with an extension equal to about half of Victoria, has an average depth of about 700 meters with peaks reaching over 1,600. (...)

Hydro-diplomacy as a Foreign Policy Tool: The Case of Sinohydro Corporation in China

February 21, 2022, Filippo Verre

Hydroelectric energy is a form of alternative energy that, quite simply, is obtained through the exploitation of flowing water. The natural motion of watercourses, whether rivers or waterfalls, produces kinetic energy, which, thanks to special turbines and systems, is transformed into electrical energy. The turbines, driven by the moving water, are usually placed at a height difference with respect to the mass of flowing water. When the latter increases, there is an increase in the volume of water, which corresponds to a greater power of the hydraulic system. By virtue of this, it is easy to understand why the largest hydroelectric power plants in the world have been built near large waterfalls or near large rivers. To better understand this mechanism, just think of the Chinese Three Gorges Dam. Completed in 2006, it is so called because it actually crosses three gorges: the Qutang Gorge, the Wuxia Gorge and the Xiling Gorge. It is one of the most (...)

The Great Hydro-Strategic Value of Tibet

January 23, 2022, Filippo Verre

With a surface area of ​​approximately 1,200,000 square kilometers, Tibet is the largest plateau in the world. In this massive region, located largely on Chinese national territory, reside the highest mountains on earth; for this reason, Tibet is also known internationally as the " roof of the world" . The presence of imposing mountain ranges means that in Tibet there are glaciers of large proportions, which feed some of the most important watercourses on the Asian continent. To get an idea of ​​the role that this large plateau plays at a hydro-strategic level, keep in mind that rivers of absolute pre-eminence such as the Ganges, Indus and Mekong flow right from the Tibetan mountains. This contributes to making this wild and inhospitable land one of the most strategic regions on the planet, especially by virtue of the constant growth in demand for water both at an energy level and with regard to the primary needs of human life. The large water resources (...)

Turkey and Water Diplomacy

December 11, 2021, Filippo Verre

Anatolia has never played a primary role in the development plans devised first in Istanbul and later in Ankara. Since the time of the Ottoman Empire, in fact, that large rocky plateau has represented a constant source of concern due in large part to the socio-political tensions that cyclically occurred there. Kurds, Armenians, but also Turkmen tribes, caused major headaches to various sultans and grand viziers throughout the second half of the 19th century, who soon began to consider Anatolia as a "troublesome territory" populated by ethnic groups hostile to the control exercised by the Sublime Porte. Even after 1923, or after the disastrous dissolution of the empire and the birth of the modern Turkish state under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, Anatolia was the territory that received less attention than other areas of the country that needed infrastructural development. Atatürk himself favored the western regions overlooking the Aegean Sea and (...)

Saudi Arabia's Water Policies

November 28, 2021, Filippo Verre

A huge desert land and abundant oil. These are the first characteristics that usually come to mind when referring to Saudi Arabia . To a certain extent, both of these pieces of information are correct, even if incomplete. It is in fact one of the most inhospitable countries on the planet in terms of climate, with an average annual temperature of about 32 degrees Celsius and very low rainfall, between 50 and 75 mm per year. In terms of oil, the large Arab Kingdom has about a quarter of the world's proven crude oil reserves and is the main producer and exporter. These facts and figures are incontrovertible, in the public domain; for a long time they have had a stereotyped impact on the notions of geography relating to the kingdom of Saud, considered by many as a large, mostly inhospitable territory that owes most of its political and financial fortunes to the undoubted wealth of its subsoil. However, not everyone knows that (...)