Palestinian Water II: Climate Change and Land Use

Future predictions regarding the effects of climate change on water resources are complex and therefore inherently uncertain. However, the conclusions presented in most studies on the subject indicate that current water-poor regions such as the Middle East will experience even greater water stress with climate change. In this article we find that Palestinian and Israeli water managers must plan for future water crises that will likely result from the combined effects of climate change and increasing urbanization that results from an exponential population growth. Climate change will likely increase water stress in the region through the processes of increasing temperature, decreasing and erratic precipitation and reduced overall aquifer replenishment. Urbanization will further strain freshwater supplies by negatively impacting the quality and quantity of available freshwater in an increasingly populated urban environment. In spite of any inherent uncertainty, water managers in the region need to consider the long-term effects of both urbanization and climate change in any future water management scheme.