Climate Change, Water and Energy in the Middle East: The complicated story in five maps

Our intended audience for this work is a bit different from our usual audience of scientists, government officials and a handful of lay readers with interests in environmental information. This time we are targeting map-lovers, aficionados (who do exist!), and all sorts of experts, scholars, politicians, dictators, autodidacts, artists, traders, students, cranks, and whatnot, or anyone, really, who is simply interested in geography or geopolitics. Whoever you are, dear readers, we encourage you to dive into these Zoï maps and discover things for yourselves.

For once, we want to put cartographer Matthias Beilstein at center stage. His maps, crafted with Swiss precision, may actually look a notch too complex and filigreed for instant consumption and indeed they are far from the fast food, “You-are-here” maps you see in shopping centers. Like a good meal, they are composed of many carefully balanced quality ingredients, but Matthias never loses sight of the overall aesthetics and content of the maps. These maps will reward you for the time you spend with them, and for our purpose here we have chosen to print them in a larger format.

In the Middle East ― an already fragile region of ongoing conflicts ― climate change is exacerbating pressures on resources. Rising temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events are increasing the risks to the livelihoods of almost half a billion people. The maps in this collection ― Climate Change Impacts, Surface Water, Groundwater, Energy, and Economic Activity and Trade ― provide the basis for exploring the relationships among these elements in the Water-Energy-Food-Environment nexus.

In the complex geopolitical situation of the Middle East, the environmental and climate change challenges have no simple solutions. But Zoï believes that an understanding of the geographic situation and the multifaceted forces at work will enable stakeholders at all levels to contribute to constructive solutions. We hope these maps meet our readers’ expectations by shedding light on the profound challenges that lie ahead.

Zoï Environment Network, Geneva, 10 January 2025