"Saudi Arabia floods leave 77 dead "

[hedgehog]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8380501.stm

[enlightenment]

1. Not an event I would normally connect with Saudi Arabia.

Though, living in the desert myself, I'm aware of the increased danger of rapidly rising water.

Sorry to hear about this; thank you for posting.

[Xithras]

2. There's been discussion for several years about trying to "re-green" the Arabian peninsula.

Few people are aware of it, but the natural climactic conditions of the Arabian peninsula should give it a climate more like the grasslands in Africa. Serious overgrazing and the extirpation of native tree species, starting about 6000 years ago, led to a dessication of the Arabian plain and the emergence of the modern desert. Quite a few environmental scientists have looked at it and determined that it would be fairly easy to reintroduce grasses onto the plains and moderate the peninsulas climate again. A fully functional savannah could be recreated over the entire peninsula in as little as 50 years, with the right financial backing.

The problem, of course, is that the nomadic lifestyle is still seen as idyllic in Arabia and many people still practice it. In order to really re-establish the grasslands, they would need to get rid of the herders and end the Bedouin lifestyle. For political and social reasons, that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. I'm curious about what the effect of global climate change will be in that area over

the next century or so. Will it make it more desert-like or more likely to go green again?

[enlightenment]

4. Interesting.

Why would the Bedouin lifestyle be a substantive issue? Are there enough to make a difference?

[Xithras]

5. Yes there are.

There are several million Bedouin still herding across the peninsula, and they tend to have rather large grazing herds. The bigger issue is that they generally tend to run the largest herds the environment will support. If you increase the amount of forage available, the general expectation is that the herders will simply increase their herd sizes to take advantage of it, cancelling out any environmental gains. Because those herds are their sole source of food and income, it isn't thought that there will be a lot of social support for limiting their ability to support themselves...especially given the nearly-venerated status that the herders hold in Arabian society.

Herding completely eliminated the grasslands. In order to restore those grasslands, you need to eliminate the herding.

[enlightenment]

6. I didn't realize it was such a large population.

That does alter the equation. Thanks for the information - I'll go do my own research now instead of data-mining your brain!

[Thothmes]

7. It is a substantive issue for the Bedouins

The Saudi Govt has launched may programs to try an bring these folks in from the desert. None have worked very well. The many multi-story buildings at Kobar (sic) were build with the idea of bringing the Bedouins in off the desert. It didnt work then. These became the barracks for the U.S. Air Force
personnel at DaHran (sic) AFB.