Climate hypocrisy targeting environmental facilities in Gaza

While world leaders were meeting at the COP28 (Climate Summit) in Dubai to discuss how we can reduce carbon emissions and our environmental footprint on the planet, the Israeli army was busy turning Gaza into an unlivable place, not only by targeting innocent civilians and demolishing their homes over their heads, Rather, by targeting environmental facilities such as renewable energy facilities, seawater desalination facilities, wells, and sewage treatment plants, it bombs and destroys these facilities, ignoring all the “environmental values” that the “Israeli delegation” to the climate conference calls for.

Targeting resilience-enhancing “energy.”

In this war, hospitals had a prominent presence. Targeting hospitals was a declared and clear goal, and therefore everything that strengthened the steadfastness of these hospitals was targeted, such as solar panels on hospital roofs, regardless of their impact on reducing carbon emissions for which climate conferences were held.

Solar energy in this war was essentially and intentionally targeted. With the siege on Gaza (since 2007) and then with its stifling tightening with the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood War, reliance on solar energy was growing remarkably. Between the years 2015 and 2017, the number of sites that produce solar energy increased. From 591 sites to 3,456, as environmental expert George Karzam confirms in his article he wrote in June 2022 and titled “Solar cells produce a quarter of electricity in Gaza and challenge Israeli climate hypocrisy”.

Solar panels on the roofs of commercial buildings and residential apartment blocks in Gaza City, Gaza, on Friday, Oct.  8, 2021. Gazans use less than 2% of the average Americans energy footprint, and Gas's sunny climate further reduces the need for expensive energy storage, making it ideal for solar energy.

According to a recent study from the CSIS Institute on solar energy in times of war, the exploitation of solar energy in the Gaza Strip achieved remarkable numbers before the war. The number of sites for producing electricity from solar energy reached 8,760 in 2019, and it was estimated The number before the 2023 war was about 12,400 rooftops producing electricity from solar energy, and according to estimates, one-third of Gazan citizens and about 50% of commercial stakeholders depend on solar energy.

During the war and with the holding of the climate summit, Israeli climate hypocrisy became crystal clear. Many images spread targeting solar panels, and this was confirmed by analyzes of satellite images from November 11, 2023 to examine the status of the 29 largest surfaces for producing electricity from solar energy. It turned out that 17 of them (60% of them) were targeted and destroyed partially or completely under the pretext that they produce energy for military purposes[3], while in reality they are located in civilian facilities such as hospitals, and contribute to strengthening the steadfastness of Gazans and their rejection of forced displacement plans. What is certain is that with the end War can only tell the extent of the damage to Gaza's solar energy systems.

Desalination plants and water networks

The destruction was not limited to green energy. Even water, which is a basic right for every human being, was a weapon this time like other times. Bombing and targeting water facilities is not new to the Israeli occupation army.

In every aggression against Gaza, water facilities were “deliberately” targeted, and even before the 2008 war, specifically on December 4, 2008, the Geneva Peace Institute published that “water has turned into a weapon in the Middle East conflict,” and with the outbreak of war 2008 The situation worsened further, making the situation catastrophic at the end of the war with regard to the process of disposing of wastewater in the Gaza Strip and the supply of drinking water.

The targeting of water facilities was also noticeably present in the 2012, 2014 and 2021 aggressions. In 2012, 12 water wells were bombed, and in 2014, 9 water wells and dozens of water lines and networks in the eastern region of the city were destroyed during the aggression. The Gaza Municipality confirmed at the time that it was a deliberate targeting, as Dr. pointed out. In a study on the environmental effects of the aggression, Sarsour hoped that 70% of water facilities were damaged. In the 2021 aggression, UNICEF published a report stating that 50% of the water network was damaged during the aggression and that about 800,000 people were unable to obtain water from the network due to the significant damage to wells, underground tanks, and water desalination plants.

Before the 2023 war, many international and Palestinian efforts were made to reform and improve the water situation in Gaza, until seawater desalination plants were established, such as the desalination plant in Khan Yunis, which was one of the primary targets for destruction, in addition to the destruction of 50% of usable wells such as the Abu Hasira well and the Sifah well. Bir Ghaben and most of the wells in the Jabalia area. The water tank in Tal al-Zaatar was also destroyed, and 30 linear kilometers of water and sewage networks were destroyed, in addition to the Amer pumping station and many other facilities that are still being destroyed in light of this ongoing war.

To express the extent of the tragedy in the water sector, it is sufficient for us to mention and recall that the per capita share of water per person in Gaza reached between 2 and 3 liters per day, noting that the internationally recommended rate is 100 liters per day, and perhaps most readers consume more than that, and the calamity is that 97% of water is polluted.

Targeting the soil

Targeting soil is no less dangerous than targeting energy and water in Gaza. For Gazan farmers, soil is the source of livelihood and livelihood and is without a doubt the source of food, and every destruction of the soil is a destruction of the land’s production.

Also, the internationally banned white phosphorus used by the Israeli army in Gaza, according to international rights organizations - such as Human Rights Watch - contributes to the significant destruction of soil and the environment, and leads to burns to humans. White phosphorus is not alone. With the war and the massive bombing that the Gaza Strip is being subjected to, there are chemical elements that seep into agricultural soil, such as tungsten and mercury. According to a study published by the New Weapons Research Group (NWRC) conducted on soil in the Beit Hanoun area in 2009, it was found that the element tungsten was present at more than 20 times the expected level in the soil, and the percentage of mercury was present at more than 8 times the expected level.

“Sewage” is one of the largest pollutants of soil, water and the environment. After cutting off fuel from sewage treatment facilities and targeting sewage lines, this polluted water with all its germs and microbes contributes to the spread of diseases and epidemics, which may double the size of the effects of the environmental disaster. Even Netanyahu himself, when he found strong opposition when he allowed the entry of a quantity of fuel into Gaza, said that he feared the possibility of the spread of epidemics, and without a doubt he intended for these epidemics to infect his soldiers or for them to reach the areas controlled by the occupation.

The truth that is forgotten by many “Israeli experts” who close their eyes to this destruction, and perhaps bless it, is that this destruction will not last long until its effects reach beyond the borders of “battles.” The environment does not know political and military borders, and when the sanitation infrastructure in Gaza is destroyed In its hospitals, the sewage will leak with rainwater and floods into the valleys and into the sea, and from there all pollutants, germs, and even waste will find their way to Israeli beaches that were already suffering from pollution (such as Zikim Beach) before October 7. So what about him after the sewage facilities were destroyed?

This statement confirms that whoever is trying to destroy the “environment” in Gaza, the effects of the destruction will reach him sooner or later, and whoever wandered on the southern beaches of Haifa after the storms that occurred during the month of November must have seen some of the “waste” that arrived from Gaza. This is further evidence that “pollution” knows no borders, whether we see it and notice it or it is not visible and noticeable.

What is certain is that, until now, we cannot estimate the extent of the environmental damage of this war, in which everything was destroyed in an attempt to make the land of Gaza uninhabitable. In parallel with targeting people, killing more than 20,000, and wounding more than 50,000, everything that could strengthen the steadfastness of the Gazans in their land was targeted.

The targeting of environmental facilities, such as water and energy facilities, and even the destruction of soil, was not random and accidental, but rather intentional and deliberate, and this is a war crime not only against the people of Gaza and Palestine, but also against the environment and climate. It would have been better for the climate summit (COP28) to devote its time to these environmental crimes instead of empty environmental slogans. As environmental activist Greta Thunberg says, “There is no climate justice in occupied territory.”

There is nothing more enjoyable than observing an interesting astronomical event in the sky, especially since following phenomena of this type does not require any cost or complicated tools except for your naked eyes. All that is needed is climbing to the roof of your house or going out into the street to follow it, with knowledge of the nature of the astronomical phenomenon. And when they occur and how to monitor them, which we will present to you in the following lines.

Sun and moon phenomena

In the year 2024, planet Earth will witness two solar eclipses, and unfortunately we in the Arab world cannot observe either of them, as the first occurs on the eighth of April and is seen in the North American continent and is a total eclipse, and the second occurs on the second of October and is seen in the south. The continent of South America and it will be an annular eclipse.

As for the lunar eclipse, the western Arab world, starting with Libya, will witness a “penumbra” type eclipse before sunrise on March 25. In this case, the moon’s illumination decreases by a slight amount that is not noticeable except upon closer inspection due to the moon entering the Earth’s penumbra. To understand the idea, imagine that you are standing at night under a lighting pole. You may notice two shadows below you, the first heavy and the second light, so the second is a semi-shadow.

At dawn on September 18, the countries of the Arab world will witness a partial eclipse starting at exactly 05:12 am Mecca time, during which the size of the illuminated side of the moon will erode slightly, and the eclipse will reach its maximum at exactly 05:44 and then return again to its original state. .

The supermoon is a fun phenomenon for adults and children alike. It occurs when the full moon phase coincides with the moon being at its closest point to the Earth, and thus the moon appears brighter and larger than usual, especially when you contemplate it immediately after sunset when the moon is on the horizon.

In 2024, the Arab world will witness three giant moons, the first on September 18, the second on October 17, and the third on November 15. During those three evenings, you can go out and gaze at the moon after sunset and throughout the night, and all that is required is your naked eyes.

On normal nights, you may notice one or two bright meteors, but in specific seasons the number of meteors increases steadily, and may reach more than a hundred meteors per hour. This happens because the planet Earth passes through the remains of a comet or an asteroid while it is traveling in space. These rocky remains enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up, so we see meteors.

The year 2024 is considered good for the main meteor showers in the Arab world, especially on the evening of August 12, when the Perseid meteor shower will peak, during which you can see 90 to 100 meteors per hour in remote areas. In general, the best monitoring of meteors is in remote areas, but in cities the number of meteors decreases significantly, and in the Perseids, for example, you can see about ten meteors in the city.

The moon sets early that night, leaving the period between ten in the evening and sunrise the next day for meteor enthusiasts, noting that the intensity of meteors increases the closer we get to dawn.

As for the nights of December 13 and 14, you can observe the peak of the Geminid meteor shower , but because the moon illuminates the sky that night, the number of meteors will decrease radically, but it remains an enjoyable shower because the number of meteors on those nights exceeds the barrier of 100 meteors per year. the hour.

The planets shine in the night sky like stars, and this happens simply because they reflect sunlight like the moon does, but because they are so far from Earth, they appear small like stars, and sometimes these planets are coupled with the moon or with each other, creating scenes worth contemplating.

You can see Jupiter shining in a clear white color at its closest distance to the moon on the evening of January 18. As for the planet Saturn , which usually shines in a yellowish color, it will be in its best position relative to the moon in 2024, as it stands very close to the moon on July 24, August 21, September 17, October 14, and November 11. November.

The planet Mars appears in the sky in a bright red color. In the past, people thought it was the color of blood, so they associated Mars with war and anger, but now we know that the reason for that red color is the oxidation of some iron compounds on the surface of the planet.

During the year 2024, the best views of the Moon standing next to Mars will be in the evenings of November 20 and December 18, as the red planet is seen almost throughout the year at dawn, but it is seen in the evening during the last months of the year.

The moon can be associated with more than one planet. On the evening of January 8, 2024, at dawn, you can notice the moon in the waning crescent phase standing next to the star Antares and both the planet Venus, which shines in a clear white color, and the planet Mercury , which shines in a yellowish color. In an enchanting scene.

Before sunrise on April 6, you will notice that the moon stands next to the red planet Mars and the planet Saturn, which usually shines in a yellowish color.

The planets may stand next to each other in captivating scenes. At dawn on April 11, Venus will stand at its closest distance to the planet Saturn, and at dawn on August 14, Mars will stand at a very close distance from Jupiter.

The conjunction of the moon with the stars

Sometimes the moon stands next to a group of bright stars, such as Antares, which is the brightest star in the Scorpio constellation . It is a great red giant at the end of its life, and this type of star explodes at the end of its life, creating a massive supernova. At the dawn of May 24 and the evening of July 17 and August 14, you can see the moon standing next to Antares with its clear red color.

As for the star Aldebaran, it is the brightest in the constellation Taurus . It was named that way because of an Arab story that says that it was a shepherd who fell in love with the Pleiades and wanted to propose to her, but she refused and said: “I have no money for this spruce” (i.e., the abject poor), so he continues to arrange for her without stopping to propose to her. I would like to, but she refuses, hence the name.

Aldebaran is a red giant. If it were the size of a football, the sun would be the size of a grape, for example. The moon is coupled with Aldebaran this year in remarkable scenes. For example, you can see it at a distance from the moon on the nights of January 21 and February 17, but at dawn June 31: The moon passes next to the trio: the red star Aldebaran, Mars, and Jupiter, and this wonderful scene is repeated at dawn on August 27.