Water Security Concerns in Gaza

Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7^th led the Israeli government to cut off water supplies to the Gaza Strip with immediate effect. This has resulted in a clean water crisis that the UN warns is now a matter of life and death.

The Gaza Strip has almost no natural access to clean water. So 97% of Gazans rely on private water tankers as well as small, solar-powered desalination plants for their drinking water. While these small desalination plants remain in operation, drinking water quality continues to decrease as the risk of water-borne disease increases.

On October 15^th, the US and Israel agreed to renew water supplies to southern Gaza. But many supply pipes are now unusable, and only a few regions have seen renewed access to water. Gazans also remain in desperate need of fuel—which has also been blocked—in order to restart major desalination pumps that provide safe drinking water.

READ | Erika Weinthal on the Weaponization of Water in Conflict Settings

Communal Loans Build Hurricane Resilience in Antigua and Barbuda

In 2017, Hurricane Irma devastated the Caribbean island of Barbuda. This storm caused extensive damage, including the destruction of 95% of its buildings and the collapse of the island’s only storm shelter. Barbuda’s neighbor, Antigua, faces a similar vulnerability to the weather impacts of climate change, with the threat of rising sea levels, worsening droughts, and more powerful hurricanes looming.

These challenges from escalating climate risks mean residents find traditional home insurance unaffordable. So the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Environment, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, has initiated a revolving loan program to address the problem.

The program allows residents to obtain low-interest loans to hurricane-proof their homes and increase overall community resilience. The project has granted 66 individual loans amounting to $1.6 million thus far, and it represents an innovative model for financing climate resilience in vulnerable communities.

READ | A Climate Finance Rethink Can Help Those Most Impacted by Climate Change

Assessing the World’s Food Crisis in 2023

A new report from the United Nations’ OCHA argues that the global food crisis has worsened in 2023. A combination of factors—including conflict, economic shocks, and weather extremes— have combined to produce a 10% increase in acute global food insecurity when compared to 2022.

The impact of this trend is immense. Food insecurity affects 238 million people across 48 countries. And while the growing overall impacts of climate change are contributing to the problem, conflict remains the largest disruptor of food access and the delivery of humanitarian aid. The rise of armed conflict promises that greater food insecurity will follow.

To ameliorate this growing crisis, the EU has committed a minimum of €350 million annually to alleviate food insecurity through targeted, context-specific support. In 2022, the EU actually exceeded this commitment, allocating approximately €1 billion for humanitarian food assistance and nutrition. In addition, a large portion of aid was provided in the form of cash transfers.

READ | Addressing the Global Food Crisis: CIMMYT Experts Weigh In