From Green Right Now Reports
Nile Delta. Photo: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Half a million inhabitants displaced. About 70,000 jobs lost. A major source of both food and revenue drowned by salt water.
That’s the grim forecast for Egypt’s Nile Delta, as rising seawaters threaten the nation’s legendary food-producing region.
Over the last century, the Mediterranean Sea has risen about six inches, according to a recent government study. The introduction of so much salt water already has forced some farmers off their land, while others struggle to find ways to protect their homes and livelihoods.
As industrialized nations wrestle with how to handle their impact on the environment, Egypt may be left to deal with the mistakes of others.
“Egypt is only responsible for 0.6 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions,” Mohammed al-Raey of the Regional Disaster Response Centre told the AFP news agency. “There is no doubt that (climate change) poses a threat to food security and a threat to social systems.”
Currently, the Nile Delta provides around a third of the crops for Egypt’s population of 80 million. Excess yields are exported, an important source of revenue.
While some farmers have simply given up, others of greater means attempt to adapt by covering their land with beds of sand to isolate it against seawater infiltrations. Engineering firms specializing in underwater projects are experimenting with more permanent fixes.
Hamza Associates has proposed to build a waterproof wall that would effectively separate the sea from the land and raise the shore by six feet. The project has been on the drawing board since 2007. Opponents argue that a wall would negatively impact Egypt’s Mediterranean beach resorts, crippling the lucrative tourist trade.