26
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Water — the growing
source of global conflict
In 2017 alone, water was a
major factor in conflict in at least
45 countries, including Syria.
Its importance as a resource
means that water-related
insecurity can easily exacerbate
tensions and friction within and
between countries.
By the World Economic Forum
The most intensive drought ever recorded in Syria
lasted from 2006 to 2011. Water scarcity hit households,
businesses, and infrastructure, while in the countryside
crops failed, livestock died, and entire families moved to
the country’s cities. The subsequent eruption of civil war
in 2011 led to as many as half a million deaths, as well as
massive migration flows to neighbouring countries and
beyond, and untold misery. Syria’s war has been a tragic
illustration of the central, driving role that water insecurity
can play in instability and conflict.
WEF
This is no surprise. It can be weaponised; nefarious
actors can gain control of, destroy, or redirect access to
water to meet their objectives by targeting infrastructure
and supplies. Advancements in cyber attacks on critical
Diagram 1: Top 10 risks
by impact from the WEF
Global Risks Report.
May 2019 Volume 25 I Number 3
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