Middle East Human-Environmental Interaction

In a region known as the "Dry World," the presence of water became a determining factor in how the population distributed itself. People settled in the areas with the most water and, once settled, began to get creative. From the earliest irrigation systems to the latest oil drills, the people of the Middle East have molded their environment into a more hospitable and prosperous home. Without a doubt, the environment has molded the people there as well as their diet. With so little water, raising cows was pointless. Goats, however, do not need as much water and as a result, you will find more goat meat than beef on the Middle Eastern dining table. This is just one example of the give and takes between humans and the environment.

Environmental Issues:

As people, we need certain basic things to keep us alive. In the past, more so than today, humans tended to gather where those basic necessities could be found naturally. If you look at a topographical map of the Middle East, you will see that some landscapes provide the natural resources humans require: food, water, and resources for shelter. Population maps of the earliest humans show humans gathering in oasis villages or along riverbanks - the places with the necessities of human life.

The Middle East was the home to some of the world's first civilizations. Over the years, people living in those civilizations learned to manipulate their environments to better provide the resources required to meet their needs. Early civilizations created irrigation systems to bring water to dry areas, they developed subsistence agriculture to provide food where food had not been before, and they built walls to create shelter from nature and other humans. Once basic needs were met, humans were able to concentrate on their wants. As a result, people traveled around in search of those resources that could not be found locally. This meant that trading centers emerged as people looked to distant lands to meet their needs. Naturally, population maps would reflect this movement as people concentrated in areas that made it easier to trade with their neighbors.

Map of Historic Population Density Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Environmental Issues Presentation

Impact of Oil:

When people participate in trade, they develop an awareness of their location’s strengths and weaknesses. In some areas of the Middle East, the people found that they had an agricultural advantage over others and they began to practice commercial agriculture to trade their agricultural products for the goods that their location could not naturally provide. These areas then grew as a result of the revenue they received from trade. Following World War I, the people of the Middle East learned of a natural resource that would become their greatest asset in international trade. This natural resource was oil. Prior to the 20^th century, the need for oil was pretty low; but, as technological advances were made the demand for oil increased. Not only does the Middle East contain a lot of oil, but it also contains easily accessible oil. For the first time, the world had found something besides holy places within the Middle East to fight over.

Map of Oil Producing Countries, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Middle East Human-Environmental Interaction Challenge

Take Away

While the Middle East is known as the birthplace of civilizations, where complex government organizations established, they are struggling today with the lack of one of the most vital natural resources, water. Water resources are becoming increasingly scarce, especially the necessary access to sanitary water. While the Middle East is rich in oil, water is necessary for agricultural production. Much of the area is seeing increasing desertification. Desalination plants are being relied on to supply adequate clean water. These plants do provide clean water, but they are not without problems. Seawater used in the desalination plants removes important minerals like calcium in the water. It also dumps high amounts of concentrated salt back into the oceans affecting the ocean’s environment.

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