Lesson 4 - Page 1 - How can countries work together to solve problems related to population and resources?
Objectives: By successfully completing this lesson, your team will be able to:
- Assess the challenges posed by population growth in arid environments.
- Negotiate strategies to share water resources from rivers linking countries with rapidly growing populations.
General Tips: Here are a few suggestions that can help your team complete this lesson together:
- Click the
 icon to open a new window with instructions for completing the lesson's collaborative learning activities (listed as Step 1, Step 2, and so forth).
- Your team should use the Group Discussion Board (located in the Communication area) to discuss questions that appear in blue boxes.
- Important vocabulary terms are defined in the Glossary (located in the Documents area).
- Complete this lesson according to the schedule provided by your instructor. Doing so will ensure that your team learns together.
- Elect leaders for each local group who can help coordinate the efforts of the entire team.
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How is population growth contributing to environmental conflicts?
Studying the relationship between human activities and
the environment is a major theme of interest for geographers. As you
learned in Lesson 1, many scientists believe that the physical
environment has a carrying capacity that sets a limit on the number of
people that can live sustainably in any given location. One of the
most important factors in determining the potential for a region to
support human life is the availability of water. The sustainable use of
water resources is especially important in regions that receive
relatively little rainfall and where people rely on surface water and
aquifers for drinking and irrigation. Without adequate rainfall, heavy
water consumption from rivers, lakes, and aquifers can result in water
shortages or depleted wells. In this final lesson, your team will
examine the challenges facing countries in Southwest Asia where large
and growing populations must find ways to share water resources from two
river systems.
Rivers can unite or divide the peoples of the world. On
one hand, neighboring countries may cooperate in using the water. But
sometimes conflicts can arise when growing populations make heavy
demands on water resources and habitats. This lesson focuses on
Southwest Asia, where Turkey, Syria and Iraq depend on the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers. Because this is an arid region, these rivers are
critical sources of water. And because populations in all three
countries are growing rapidly, they demand more and more water. Could
this situation spark conflict, or will these countries cooperate on the
use of available water? To prepare for the activity, please read this
background information on the physical geography of the Tigris-Euphrates
region and why some countries are poised to engage in a conflict over
water.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF TIGRIS-EUPHRATES REGION
The Euphrates River is about 1,800 miles long, the
longest river in Southwest Asia. The Tigris, at 1,000 miles, is the
second longest. Think about what it would be like to ride a raft
downstream from the headwaters of either river. You will go through deep
canyons between high mountains, pass small villages and large cities,
and see many different kinds of vegetation. You will see snow in the
mountains and sand in the deserts. You will want a life jacket for
running rapids and a motor to cross reservoirs behind huge dams. In the
hottest, driest regions, green fields of irrigated crops will hug the
river's edges. Both rivers begin in the mountains of southeastern
Turkey. From this source, the Euphrates flows out of Turkey into Syria,
crosses Syria, and then moves through Iraq. From its source in Turkey,
the Tigris forms a short portion (20 miles) of the border between Turkey
and Syria before it flows into Iraq. There, it is joined by tributaries
flowing out of the mountains of western Iran. The two rivers come
together in southern Iraq to form the Shatt al-Arab, which then empties
into the Persian Gulf.
Thousands of years ago, some of the world's first
farmers settled in the Tigris-Euphrates river basin. Ancient empires
such as Sumeria, Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia had their capitals here.
In modern times, Iraq, Syria and Turkey have all built dams and
irrigation systems to put the river water to greater use. Turkey
recently launched a massive water storage and distribution project,
known as GAP (Guneydogu Anadulo Projesti), in its southeastern region.
Iraq and Syria are concerned that GAP will reduce the quantity and
quality of water flowing downstream. This creates the potential for
conflict in the region.
Click
here  for an interactive presentation that illustrates the
regional need for water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and how
the demand for water might lead to international conflict. This
presentation will prepare your team for the final collaborative activity
in which you will evaluate the water needs of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq
and negotiate ways to share the water resources of these two rivers.
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