The self-administration of North and East Syria has stipulated in its social contract that everyone has the right to a clean and healthy environment. To this end, an ecological economy is to be established and land, water and energy made available to the people. However, the region is facing major ecological challenges due to the climate crisis and the ongoing war.
Rojava stretches along the Turkish-Syrian border in the shadow of the Taurus Mountains from Iraq almost to the Mediterranean. In the south, the region extends into the Syrian desert. Cool and rainy autumn and winter months alternate with dry summers. The riverbanks of the Euphrates, Xabur and Tigris rivers and the Afrin region in particular are characterised by fertile soils – ideal conditions for organic farming. However, anyone who looks at sustainability and ecology in the region will see contradictions.
On the one hand, since the revolution in 2012, the local administration has been offering numerous educational programmes to raise ecological consciousness. A new ecology council for the entire region was also recently founded to develop practical solutions.
On the other hand, North and East Syria faces numerous ecological challenges. The local administraion is struggling with water shortages and the consequences of war. Global warming is causing heatwaves and it is raining less and less, which is destroying the majority of crop yields. In addition, Turkey and its allied Islamist militias are setting fire to fields close to the border, burning tens of thousands of additional hectares of agricultural land every year. In summer, temperatures of 45 degrees are not uncommon in the region and the groundwater is sinking. What this means in practice can be seen in the Al-Hasakah region. In summer, over half a million people there are dependent on water deliveries by lorry. The damming of the rivers by Turkish dam projects is also responsible for this. Contaminated or stagnant water also leads to outbreaks of deadly diseases such as cholera. The basic supply of water and electricity is also severely restricted by sanctions. There is no well-developed grid; most of the supply is provided by environmentally harmful and ineffective diesel generators, which characterise Rojava’s appearance just as much as small oil stoves in private homes, which worsen the air quality there. The generators supply the houses with electricity and operate the water pumps for agriculture. Against this backdrop, the Turkish attacks last winter presented the region with unprecedented humanitarian and environmental challenges. According to reports, around 80 per cent of the already weak infrastructure, such as substations and gas storage facilities, was destroyed by the bombing.
Under these conditions, it is difficult to fulfil the ecological demands of self-administration. However, there are approaches such as reforestation programmes, sustainable fertilisation and the use of the sun to generate electricity. This development work needs to be intensified. International solidarity in times of escalating climate crisis also means taking responsibility for the regions most affected by climate change. International support, for example in the decentralisation of energy supply, can make an important contribution to the stability and future of this unique project.
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