The humanitarian impact of the conflict in Yemen has been exacerbated by scarce water resources, weak governance and poor infrastructure – all of which have been further degraded by the conflict. The conflict has had a huge impact on Yemen’s weak agricultural sector leading to severe food insecurity, and impacted projects aiming to protect its remaining biodiverse areas.
A CEOBS investigation using remote sensing and open source data suggests that the expansion of solar powered agricultural groundwater abstraction in Yemen may be unsustainable, and already responsible for steep declines since 2018.
Our major satellite analysis of the state of agricultural land in Yemen finds that 257,000 hectares of its most important agricultural areas have exhibited signs of degradation during the current conflict. This is an area equivalent to the total cropland in Jordan or Lebanon.
Agriculture in wadis Zabid and Rima in the Tihamah plain has been hard hit by Yemen’s conflict. Using open-source datasets, Eoghan Darbyshire takes a deep dive into the situation that has unfolded in this area, and analyses the complex relationship between the conflict and the deteriorating agricultural situation.
A brief introductory overview of the environmental dimensions of the conflict in Yemen, with facts, figures and further reading.
In a major new study CEOBS has identified a potential link between steep declines in groundwater in Yemen and the expansion of solar power in agriculture. In this blog, Leonie Nimmo introduces our findings.
There are calls for the UN Security Council to authorise a military-backed response to the crisis over the SAFER oil tanker off the coast of Yemen. We argue that not only is this unrealistic, it would also have long-term consequences for how the international community addresses the environment, peace and security.
An open source investigation into recent terrestrial and marine oil spills in Yemen, all of which are linked in different ways to its ongoing conflict.
In September, oil leaked from the dilapidated FSO SAFER oil tanker moored off Yemen. Further material was seen in the water during October but this revised analysis of satellite imagery confirms that this material is the result of plankton blooms.
The fate of the hazardous SAFER oil tanker moored off Yemen is becoming increasingly politicised, in this blog Doug Weir reviews recent developments and considers whether the UN Security Council could help break the current impasse.
Deteriorating access to water during Yemen’s conflict has had a disproportionate impact on women. But far from passive, silent victims, Leonie Nimmo finds that they can be found on the front lines, delivering aid and negotiating access to water sources.
Conflicts often disrupt environmental governance and sustainable development. In this blog Doug Weir examines how the conflict in Yemen has interrupted plans to improve waste management while creating new risks to human and environmental health.
A dilapidated tanker with 1.14m barrels of crude oil has become a pawn in the conflict in Yemen. The potential for miscalculation leading to a spill that would cause serious harm to Red Sea ecosystems is significant. In this blog Doug Weir catches up with developments with the SAFER FSO one year on.
In March, the Yemeni government called for UN help in dealing with a potentially serious oil pollution threat in the Red Sea. The case has highlighted the wider threat from oil pollution in Yemen’s civil war and the risks it poses to the Red Sea’s ecology.
The impacts of climate change are particularly complex in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The region suffers from violent conflicts and severe water scarcity, while climate models show more serious scenarios here than in other regions. This paper explains how the security of the MENA region is inscribed in a new climate reality.
A study that seeks to document and model the impact of the conflict in Yemen on sustainable development, including its impact on environmental infrastructure such as water and sanitation, and its impact on agricultural practices and food security.
This report gives an overview of the impact of the Coalition bombing campaign on food production and distribution in rural Yemen and on fishing along the Red Sea coast.
This paper considers the threat that environmental degradation poses for peacebuilding and recovery in Iraq and Yemen, with a particular focus on climate change risks. But it also identifies opportunities for addressing the environment during reconstruction efforts.
Parties to the conflict must be encouraged to agree to a cessation of hostilities which must include safeguards for health, water and sanitation facilities.
This paper assesses the impact of climate change and Saudi-Yemen ongoing war on Yemen’s economy, agriculture, households and health and the proposed solutions for adaptation to climate change.
A near-forgotten island in the Indian Ocean, Socotra was outshadowed by the conflict raging in Yemen, allowing the UAE to turn it into a military outpost and tourist hotspot.
This blog discusses the findings of a project to map the targeting of agricultural infrastructure in rural Yemen.
Khat now ranks first in the list of cash crops in Yemen, with an average cultivated area of 166,557 hectares, out of a total cultivated land of approximately 1,172,000 hectares. Meanwhile, the total yield has reached nearly 190 thousand tons annually.
Water scarcity in Yemen which has been exacerbated by climate change, may be a critical factor underlying the country’s instability, and prolonging and worsening its conflict.
