Adapting to a Hotter Future: Jordan’s Climate Resilience Strategy
Context
Like many states in the Middle East, Jordan has been grappling with environmental and climate-related challenges, particularly chronic water scarcity and recurrent droughts, which remain among the most alarming issues. For decades, Jordan has struggled to balance its limited freshwater resources against its growing domestic demand. However, the challenges have intensified significantly when the influx of Syrian refugees coincided with rising temperatures, declining rainfalls, and an overall worsening water shortage. Climate risks in Jordan are not limited to persistent dry conditions; the state is also vulnerable to flash floods, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas.
The Iran-Israel-USA war has also become intertwined with Jordan’s water crisis. Jordan relies significantly on water imports from Israel under mutual water sharing agreements. However, Israeli water exports have been gradually decreasing amid the Gaza war and other regional tensions, exposing the fragility of these agreements. Moreover, the targeting of water facilities during the war has further elevated risks not only for Jordan but for the whole Middle East region.
Today, the state faces more complex climate-security complications manifested in mounting agricultural production losses, disruptions in industrial activities, economic strain, and declining rural livelihoods. The consequences of climate change are increasingly visible in Jordan’s agricultural productivity, for instance, its traditional olive industry has experienced a decline despite contributing up to USD 1.4 b in economic value and supporting nearly 80,000 of its rural families.
In response, the government has shifted towards long-term adaptation measures, such as far-reaching climate-resilient water management strategies crafted for safeguarding future water security. On 17 March 2026, Jordan approved a USD 203 m grant agreement with the United States government to support the Aqaba-Amman water Desalination and Conveyance Project (National Water Carrier). It is a flagship component of a broader USD 6 b water infrastructure initiative that has also secured support from the Green Climate Fund. The approval helped the project towards financial closure and opened the door for construction. The project’s initial construction phase is expected to focus on the desalination facilities in Aqaba on the Red Sea coast, followed by the development of a 438 km underground water conveyance pipeline and associated infrastructure linking Aqaba to Amman. Authorities are aiming to achieve full operational readiness within four years, and upon completion, the project will annually deliver approximately 300 m cubic meters of desalinated water.
Alongside infrastructure development, Jordan’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation launched a Climate-Resilient Water and Sanitation Safety Planning roadmap in May 2026. The initiative aims to transform water management from a proactive and preventive risk-management model. Consistent with the priorities of Jordan’s National Water Strategy 2023-40, the roadmap contributes to the state’s wider efforts to enhance water security and long-term resource resilience.