Country brief: Yemen
A brief introductory overview of the environmental dimensions of the conflict in Yemen, with facts, figures and further reading.
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.
Publications
Blogs
Time to move beyond Yemen’s SAFER oil tanker blame game
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.
International Women’s Day 2020: Women, war and water in Yemen
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.
How Yemen’s conflict destroyed its waste management system
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 hazardous oil tanker has become a bargaining chip in the Yemen conflict
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.
Is an ageing oil tanker threatening an environmental disaster off the coast of Yemen?
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.
External content
SIPRI | A confluence of crises: On water, climate and security in the Middle East and North Africa
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.
UNDP | Assessing the impact of war on development in Yemen
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.
Tufts | Strategies of the Coalition in the Yemen War: Aerial bombardment and food war
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.
CSIS | Scorched Earth Environmental Dimensions of Postcrisis Recovery in Iraq & Yemen
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.
IRC | They die of bombs, we die of need: impact of collapsing public health systems in Yemen
Parties to the conflict must be encouraged to agree to a cessation of hostilities which must include safeguards for health, water and sanitation facilities.
Centre For Governance and Peace-building-Yemen | Yemen between the Impact of the Climate Change and the Ongoing Saudi-Yemen War: A Real Tragedy
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.
The New Arab | Has the UAE colonised Yemen’s Socotra island paradise?
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.
LSE | Empire of Information: The War on Yemen and its Agricultural Sector
This blog discusses the findings of a project to map the targeting of agricultural infrastructure in rural Yemen.
SciDev | Khat cultivation fuels food crisis in 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.
Center for Climate and Security | A Storm Without Rain: Yemen, Water, Climate Change, and Conflict
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.