Regional lessons from the COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East: From infectious diseases to climate change adaptation

Negev, Maya; Dahdal, Yara; Khreis, Haneen; Hochman, Assaf; Shaheen, Mohammed; Jaghbir, Madi; Alpert, Pinhas; Levine, Hagai; Davidovitch, Nadav

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144434

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…As discussed in the "Literature review" section, previous literature also supports our narrative; for example, Mehmood et al (2021) found a significant association between COVID-19 cases and climatic factors in Pakistan. Similar results have been found by Negev et al (2021) in Middle Eastern economies. Consistent evidence was shown by Fernández-Ahúja and Martínez (2021) in Spain.…”

Section: Statistical Facts Related To Climate Change During Covid-19supporting

confidence: 89%

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Climate change during the COVID-19 outbreak: scoping future perspectives

Usman

Husnain

Riaz

et al. 2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Neither war nor recession or any kind of prior disaster has been considered a prelude to the looming threat of climate change over the past era as coronavirus (hereafter COVID-19) has in only a few months. Although numerous studies have already been published on this topic, there has not been compelling evidence critically assessing the impact of COVID-19 by and on climate change. The present study fills this gap by taking a more holistic approach to elaborate factors, e.g., natural and anthropogenic factors, ocean submesoscales, radiative forces, and greenhouse gas/CO 2 emissions, that may affect climate change in a more prevalent and pronounced manner. Based on the statistical data collected from the NASA Earth Observatory, the European Space Agency, and the Global Carbon Project, the findings of this study reveal that the climate/environment has improved during COVID-19, including better environmental quality and water quality with low carbon emissions and sound pollution. In the lockdown during the epidemic, the emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) significantly decreased because of the lower usage of transportation, decreased electricity demand, and halted industrial activities. The policy implications of this study suggested that keeping the climate healthy even in the post-COVID-19 era is a serious concern that needs to be addressed by investing in clean and green projects, ensuring green energy evolution, dealing with a large volume of medical waste, building health-ensuring and livable societies, and halting the funding of pollution. For governmental and regulatory bodies, these factors will provide a strong foundation to build safer, healthier, and environmentally friendly societies for generations to come.

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Section: Statistical Facts Related To Climate Change During Covid-19supporting

confidence: 89%

“…In a study on Middle Eastern countries (i.e., Israel, Jordan, and Palestine), Negev et al (2021) evaluated the role of COVID-19 and adaptation to climate change. Based on the geographical location of Israel and Palestine, it is unavoidable to control the transmission of the virus.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change during the COVID-19 outbreak: scoping future perspectives

Usman

Husnain

Riaz

et al. 2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…The failures precipitated by this breakdown in cooperation were brought into focus in late 2020 by the stark contrast between the immunization rates of the Israeli and Palestinian populations, still evident at the time of writing (see Figure 1). The vaccination gap brought into sharp relief the challenge of sustaining joint efforts in a region that is unified by shared epidemiological risks and realities but remains chronically divided by long-standing political conflicts [6]. While Israel has offered the world an example of a rapid and effective vaccine roll-out, across the border vaccination rates among Palestinians within the West Bank and Gaza have continued to lag.…”

Section: Epidemiological Co-dependencies and Political Dividesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This period of cooperation was again stalled in May 2021. By the time of the outbreak of the violent May 2021 conflict, most of the eligible Israeli population was vaccinated, compared to a fraction of the Palestinian population (60% vs. 5% first doses[6]), leaving a significant element of the regional population vulnerable to continued COVID-19 spread. The lessons of COVID-19 cooperation and non-cooperation are important not only for management of the current pandemic, but also for informing management of future health and environment-related risks, compounded by climate change[9], where cooperative management will be required to protect the entire population of the region, regardless of the transient state of politics.…”

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confidence: 99%

Lessons of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for Public Health: The Case of the COVID-19 Vaccination Gap

Dahdal

Davidovitch

Gilmont

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a faceless, non-adversarial threat that endangered Israelis and Palestinians with the same ferocity. However, the capacities of the health systems to address it were not equal, with Israel more equipped for the outbreak with infrastructure, resources, manpower and later, vaccines. The pandemic demonstrated the life-saving benefits of cooperation and the self-defeating harms brought by non-cooperation. These trends are explored here by an international team of public health and environmental scholars, including those from different sides of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This article explores the importance of recognizing the Israeli and Palestinian jurisdictions as a single epidemiological unit, and illustrates how doing so is a pragmatic positioning that can serve self-interest. We demonstrate how despite political shocks precipitating non-cooperation, there has been a recurrent tendency towards limited cooperation. The paper concludes with lessons over the need for reframing public health as a potential bridge, the need for structural changes creating sustainable platforms for accelerated transboundary cooperation to enable the steady management of current and future public and environmental health crises regardless of dynamic political crises, and the importance of civil society and international organizations in forging collaboration in advance of governmental engagement.

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“…The situation has deteriorated since the outbreak of new hostilities between Gaza and Israel in May 2021 heightened the disparity of provision and Gaza’s fragile health infrastructure, leading to calls for more robust international and regional action including a rapid roll-out of vaccines to the OPTs. Indeed, the high levels of interdependence between Israel and the OPTs unite them as an ‘epidemiological unit’, making particularly urgent the need for cooperation, whether in respect of medical supplies, data sharing and support for more resilient medical structures [ 33 ]. However, so far the COVID pandemic represents another lost opportunity for more creative diplomacy in the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict [ 34 ].…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Middle East and COVID-19: time for collective action

Fawcett

2021

Global Health

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Revised: Nov 6 2021The shortfalls of multilateral and regional organizations in respect of handling the COVID-19 pandemic have been well rehearsed by scholars and policy makers in multiple publications and statements. While the World Health Organization (WHO) and its regional offices have coordinated global responses, regional organizations, like the European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or African Union, have played complementary roles. However, the response of different regions has varied, revealing multiple deficits in the structures of regional governance. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a region affected by chronic ongoing conflicts and serious inequalities in health and welfare provision, reflected in the absence of concerted responses to the pandemic. Its young population has meant lower comparative mortality rates, but the socio-economic spill-over effects are grave in terms of interrupted education, high unemployment, particularly in respect to vulnerable communities like refugees and migrant workers. With the current situation remaining critical, this paper reviews the impact of COVID-19 on MENA and considers the variable performance of states and institutions to the pandemic, highlighting the shortfalls, but also opportunities for collective action. Drawing on data from the WHO, United Nations (UN), regional organizations, media and secondary sources, it first discusses the wider global-regional context; second, reviews the actions of regional bodies, like the League of Arab States, Gulf Cooperation Council and the cross-regional Organization of Islamic Cooperation; and third, looks at some country-specific situations where both evidence of good practice and the absence of appropriate regional level provision have exposed deep regional divides. It concludes with a call for more collaboration between states and international organizations: better regional coordination is urgently needed to supplement existing multilateral efforts. A collective local response to the COVID-19 pandemic could help transcend regional divides and spur much-needed security cooperation in other areas.

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Regional lessons from the COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East: From infectious diseases to climate change adaptation

Cited by 35 publications

References 8 publications

Climate change during the COVID-19 outbreak: scoping future perspectives

Climate change during the COVID-19 outbreak: scoping future perspectives

Lessons of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for Public Health: The Case of the COVID-19 Vaccination Gap

The Middle East and COVID-19: time for collective action

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