As tensions rise in one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, the ripple effects go far beyond oil—touching food systems, climate pressures, and regional stability

By Dr. Osama Moh’d Gazal, Environmental and Climate Change Advisor, Jordan

The Arabs have controlled the region (The Gulf of the black gold oil), for a longer period, especially considering the spread of Islam and modern Arab states’ establishment. Persians, then known as the Sassanids, controlled it for about 1000 years before the Arab conquest. The term “Persian Gulf” was commonly used historically, while “Arabian Gulf” is often used by Arab states. The name reflects the region’s complex history and competing claims. Returning to the Historical overview of the strait we can find that Persians were the first major power to control the Gulf (definitely with the Strait of Hormuz), but Arabs have had a longer stretch of influence overall.

Historically, the name “Persian Gulf” stuck in Western maps, but Arab states prefer “Arabian Gulf” or “Gulf”. The modern geopolitics of the Gulf involves complex regional dynamics, with Arab states like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar playing key roles. Iran’s influence and tensions with Arab states, especially over issues like nuclear deals and regional power struggles, are significant factors. However, in the last 20 years, after the Iraqi regime of Saddam was destroyed, the conflict between Arab and Iran escalated into three main dimensions (Iran-Arab tensions: Proxy conflicts in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon, Competition for resources and influence, lastly, and the most important, the Security pacts where US and European alliances with Gulf states). The Gulf has been a contested region, with various empires vying for control.

Amid the repercussions of war, the struggle for control, the imposition of influence, and the assertion of dominance by the strongest power in the region, the most potent leverage has emerged in the hands of the Persians, for now, the Hormuz. Whether this leverage remains in their grasp or is lost will depend on the unfolding course of the conflict. The Persian/Arabian Gulf has been strategically significant since ancient times, though it has experienced prolonged periods of Arab control, particularly following the collapse of the Persian Empire during the era of Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab. With the decline of the Arab Caliphate and the rise of the Ottoman Empire, Persian influence over the region was reasserted.

Today, we are witnessing a renewed struggle for dominance and control over one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz represents a formidable asset for the Persians, who seek to leverage it to exert pressure on the global stage, particularly by influencing oil prices.

As one of the eight most strategically significant straits worldwide, it facilitates the transit of approximately 90% of globally traded petroleum fuels. More specifically, it ranks as the second most vital maritime passage, governing over 26% of the world’s seaborne petroleum trade. Any sustained disruption or restriction of maritime movement through this strait would not only jeopardize oil and natural gas supplies. Still, it would also have profound implications for food security, both regionally and globally.

From the outset, international warnings have emphasized the necessity of maintaining the unimpeded functionality of this critical waterway through diplomatic engagement and commitment to peaceful conflict resolution. The focus has been on upholding humanitarian considerations and ensuring that the strait continues to serve its vital role in global trade. However, amid escalating military tensions and intensifying geopolitical rivalries, diplomatic channels and multilateral agreements have collapsed, and the security of international maritime routes has been severely compromised. The prevailing dynamic is now dictated by the logic of military force.

We must broaden our assessment of the potential consequences beyond the prevailing discourse centered on oil. While economists and military analysts have naturally concentrated on the hydrocarbon sector given its strategic importance and the immediate disruptions to energy markets caused by deteriorating security in the Strait of Hormuz, the repercussions extend far beyond petroleum. Despite the overwhelming military superiority of the primary adversary of the Persians, an ally of Arab states in this confrontation, the strait remains a highly advantageous asset for the Persians in this struggle. Even if the conflict remains confined to sporadic threats and patrols by small naval vessels, the strategic value of this chokepoint endures. However, the current reality involves more than posturing; it includes the mining of waters and tangible measures to maintain control over this historically contested passage.

Now we can’t understand issues related to the Oil-Food Security Nexus without returning to the recent Oil Price Shocks and Food Security in the region, recognizing that these are food-import-dependent nations. The 1991 Gulf War led to a sharp increase in oil prices, which in turn raised transportation and production costs for food commodities. This resulted in higher food prices, disproportionately affecting low-income households. Countries in the Arabian Gulf region, already reliant on food imports, faced exacerbated food insecurity due to increased costs and disrupted supply chains. The current crisis calls for global food price volatility. The war-induced oil price spike contributed to global food price instability, emphasizing the vulnerability of food systems to energy market shocks.

Current oil prices already offer a glimpse into the potential impact of a full-scale closure of the strait. Yet, the threat to global food security is equally dire and will become increasingly evident over time, affecting both the region and the world at large.

Furthermore, the environmental toll is mounting, with elevated greenhouse gas emissions resulting from military operations, the destruction of vast fuel storage facilities, and the potential ignition of oil wells should the conflict escalate. (The consequences will not be confined to the Gulf states and Iraq, affecting tens of millions of people, but will reverberate across the interconnected global system. Food security is at risk, agricultural productivity will decline, and production costs will surge. Farmers will face increased operational expenses and greater difficulties in exporting goods, all of which will contribute to rising prices and exacerbate food insecurity. This raises a critical question: Are the countries in the region prepared to withstand these far-reaching and debilitating indirect consequences should the conflict persist? This burden will weigh most heavily on nations with fragile economies and vulnerable food systems.

Natural disasters caused by climate change were historically several times more devastating than those caused by other factors, but the impact of these disasters has now become more balanced as a result of humanity’ ability to adapt to climate change and lessen loss of life. However, the impact of these calamities on food security remains significant due to the lack of sustainable human agricultural systems. Military conflicts and wars related to the control and expansion of influence, such as those currently taking place in the Middle Eastern Gulf region, known as the Arabian or Persian Gulf today, are among the most significant human-related activities contributing to climate change, given their link to emissions that exacerbate this phenomenon.

Despite my scientific perspective and in-depth understanding of climate change, which is regarded as a natural periodic phenomenon on Earth that existed before humans and their activities, human-caused pollution has piqued the interest of numerous experts. They investigated the potential influence of higher concentrations of specific human-caused emissions on climate change using mathematical and statistical models. And because many activists in this field are not specialists but merely amateurs in the world of climate change, participating in workshops, traveling, and gaining fame, the idea of real climate change has shifted to be associated only with the gas emissions resulting from direct human activities, such as energy production from fossil fuels, or indirect activities, such as livestock and poultry farming, among other activities that many accuse of causing climate change.

Climate change is a reality, despite mistakes in mathematical and statistical models that underpin all scenario forecasts based on carbon dioxide levels, despite studies showing that carbon dioxide concentrations were far higher during ice ages. These errors result from assigning scientific topics to unqualified individuals who are only interested in money and fame and do not delve into understanding the meanings of the phenomenon of climate change in a scientifically precise manner, rather than going beyond logic and science in terms of Earth’s climate history. Although their violations of logic have become sophisticated and presented through statistical and mathematical models that astonish people and even impress those managing these models into believing results that are built on non-scientific foundations, without considering a scientific historical study of Earth’s climate and the real factors influencing this climate, and excluding factors related to the primary energy source for the planets of the solar system and the changes occurring in this system.

In my opinion, any model intended to imitate reality and predict the future is a failure if it does not account for sun-related phenomena and their impact on Earth’s climate. However, as scientists, we must acknowledge that climate change is a reality that we face, and we must adapt as humans to the dangers of climate change, particularly during periods of drought and rainfall scarcity, as well as seasonal overlap and irregular rainfall distribution in comparison to what we and the Earth’s biosphere are accustomed to. And let us not forget the risk that has gone unnoticed due to the focus on global warming and the greenhouse effect, which is associated with a fall in temperature as well as a reduction in carbon dioxide levels, resulting in reduced agricultural production and affecting food security.

Interestingly, this more genuine hazard, from which we are now clearly experiencing, demonstrates that death rates from severe cold waves greatly outnumber those from heat waves. Many specialized scientists have written on the subject, and their studies have demonstrated that the future will be worse, especially as the current solar cycle brings us into a period of low solar activity, increasing the risk of the Earth entering a little ice age.

Our readiness for food security concerns is inadequate and has not been thoroughly investigated, as we continue to rely on investment strategies in four key crops: wheat, rice, corn, and soy, to assure more efficient production, but with less diversification and greater fragility. Our agricultural policies have utterly overlooked the value of crop diversity in ensuring a more resilient and sustainable food system in the face of climate change and the hazards of disrupted supply chains, as is currently occurring because of the Strait of Hormuz issue.

With great thankfulness, the focus and debate were on human activities that produce gas emissions that are thought to exacerbate or accelerate climate change on Earth. However, there has been only timid discussion of the impact of wars in this equation, as they are regarded as one of the most prominent and dangerous reasons, not only for the direct suffering of peoples involved in conflicts or forced to participate in bitter wars between great powers seeking control and extending influence, but also for the indirect effects, which are regarded as the most difficult and dangerous in the long run.

Conflicts, the desire for control, and the expansion of influence, away from the meanings of humanity and the spirit of sharing in the Earth’s resources, and prioritizing the principles of diplomacy and agreements that guarantee everyone’s rights, lead to an increased focus on heavy military industries and the pollution and gas emissions they produce, which are accused by mathematical and statistical model studies of causing climate change, global warming, and extreme events related to heat waves or extreme cold periods or heavy rain and hard drought periods.

The Gulf War and subsequent conflicts underscore the intricate relationship between oil prices and food security. Policymakers must consider the food security implications of oil price volatility when addressing regional stability and global food systems. Representing Jordan, our recommendations include:

1. Diversify energy sources to reduce dependence on oil.

2. Enhance regional food production and trade cooperation.

3. Implement policies to mitigate the impact of oil price shocks on vulnerable populations.

4. To address future challenges following the escalation of global food insecurity risks as a result of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, it is critical to first defuse the crisis and develop plans to prevent vital waterways for global food and energy supply chains from becoming threats and tools in the hands of regimes that disregard international law and respect for the integrity of global trade, exploiting such situations to exert pressure and control. Perhaps the solution is to put these critical waterways under international supervision.

5. Furthermore, it is critical to expand efforts to urge countries to strengthen their food security strategy and prepare for emergencies, whether natural disasters caused by climate change, such as droughts, or by conflict.

The Persians are known for wisdom, civilization, legacy, and a worldview with deep roots in administration and the capacity to govern and expand their power. But the problem with the Persians is not with the people who carry on this great heritage, which I personally respect and admire; rather, the problem is with the system that uses religious beliefs to control and be hostile to others, not with the ancient Persian civilization. Despite America’s vast dominance, there have been several studies and projections, but has Iran opted to commit suicide? And will it take positive steps for the benefit of its people and the region, as Japanese Emperor Hirohito did after World War II, adopting a peace, development, and renunciation of foreign interventions and the nuclear issue to save the country (similar to Japan’s renaissance), because continuing on the path of confrontation is very costly and will lead to Iran’s destruction and return to the Stone Age.

The Middle East, particularly Jordan, faces significant food security challenges exacerbated by regional conflicts, economic vulnerabilities, and climate-related stressors. Key factors complicating food security in Jordan include:

1. Trade Disruptions: Jordan’s reliance on imports for staple foods (e.g., wheat, sugar) makes it vulnerable to trade disruptions in neighboring countries, especially given the current regional instability.

2. Economic Pressures: High unemployment, inflation, and a substantial public debt burden strain household purchasing power, limiting access to food.

3. Water Scarcity: Jordan’s severe water scarcity impacts agricultural production, increasing dependence on imports and vulnerability to global price shocks.

4. Refugee Crisis: Hosting a large refugee population (e.g., Syrians) strains food systems and increases demand for limited resources.

5. Climate Change: Decreasing rainfall and increasing temperatures threaten agricultural productivity, further straining food availability.

6. Global Price Volatility: Jordan’s import-dependent food system is exposed to international price fluctuations, particularly for staples like wheat and oil.

Jordan’s food security is intricately linked to regional stability, global market trends, and climate resilience. Addressing these challenges requires, enhancing regional trade cooperation, investing in water-efficient agriculture, implementing social protection programs for vulnerable populations, diversifying energy sources to reduce import bills. We pray for a peaceful resolution to this conflict and an end to power struggles that come at the expense of peaceful nations.

May God grant the peoples of this region the strength to overcome these tribulations and crises, and to transcend the sectarian divisions and animosities that have plagued them for decades. We also pray for the protection of our leadership, our people, and our nation, Jordan, as an oasis of security, peace, love, and coexistence in a region that has long endured more than its share of global conflicts.

Editor’s note: Green Prophet, founded by Karin Kloosterman, has been a leading voice on ecological issues in the Middle East for 20 years, while following Hormuz, Iran, water, war, freight, food security and climate resilience across the region. For related reading:

A Fact-Based Reflection on Sustainability and Tourism in Hormuz

The Aga Khan is greenwashing their awards

Design a Bridge for the Strait of Hormuz

Electric and hydrogen long-haul trucks are finally leaving the prototype era

The future of trucking and freight is electric and hydrogen

Tesla Semi, electric road trains and the safer freight future

From “Water Terrorist” to Global Laureate: Iran’s Kaveh Madani Wins the Nobel of Water

Renewables hit 5149 GW in 2025 as the world edges away from oil shocks and fossil-Iran’s water mafia and thirst for war leaves the country on brink of being dry.

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Oliver Isler didn’t begin with a product idea. He began with a dream. “More than fifteen years ago,” he said to In Depth Magazine, “I had a beautiful dream in which I was swimming peacefully among whales and dolphins,” he writes, recalling the moment that set everything in motion. When he woke, the thought stayed with him: perhaps with a small, integrated breathing system, a human could move through the ocean with something closer to that same ease.

From that idea came Hydrophilis, a device that looks less like dive gear and more like an attempt to reshape the human body into something hydrodynamic. When I first learned to dive, it was no easy task connecting all the parts of the breathing apparatus. Under the water, it never really felt like it belonged to me. Could this new invention make Scuba diving more accessible and safe?

Related: Are diving trips to the Rea Sea safe? 

The problem Oliver is trying to solve is not simply how to breathe underwater. That problem was addressed long ago. The deeper issue is how awkward, noisy, and inefficient humans remain in the water even with modern equipment. Complicated tanks, hoses, and regulators turn the diver into a slow, bubbling machine.

Even advanced rebreathers, while quieter, are still bolted onto the body, creating drag and distance between the diver and the environment. Hydrophilis tries to erase that separation. Isler approached the design as an aerodynamics problem, noting that “the ideal shape for minimum resistance is the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) airfoil,” and he built the entire form around that principle.

The result is a system where the breathing apparatus is not worn but integrated. The rebreather sits on the chest rather than the back, which he chose deliberately “to avoid Immersion Pulmonary Edema (IPE), a dangerous affliction whose risk is higher when inhaling… from a back-mounted counterlung.”

The helmet extends forward in a smooth cone, reducing turbulence, while the body remains close-fitted and free of external weights that would disrupt flow. Even the ballast is hidden in the fabric. Everything is shaped to move water aside rather than fight it.

There is also a philosophical shift here. Traditional dive gear assumes resistance and compensates for it with power and air supply. Hydrophilis assumes that the better solution is to reduce resistance until less effort is needed in the first place. Isler reports that the system allows “reasonably good” speed with minimal effort, especially when paired with a monofin, and that autonomy reaches between 60 and 90 minutes depending on exertion.

That is achieved with a remarkably small system, built around a one-liter tank and a compact rebreather, far removed from the heavy configurations divers are used to.

Still, the project is not finished. Isler has completed a few dozen dives and continues to refine the design, adjusting buoyancy, improving visibility, and solving issues like occasional leakage under certain breathing conditions. There is no commercial version yet (angel funding anyone?), no certification pathway announced, and no clear date when something like this might be available beyond experimental use.

Even he is cautious about its future, writing that “it’s impossible to say whether it will become a model for the future,” though he clearly finds satisfaction in having built something entirely original.

What Hydrophilis does offer, even in its unfinished state, is a different direction. Jacques Cousteau helped free divers from the surface by giving them independent air, but the systems that followed defined the diver as someone carrying life support into an alien world. (Related: we interview Cousteau’s grand-daughter here).

Isler’s work suggests another path, one where the human form adapts to the physics of water instead of overpowering it. The silence of a rebreather, the reduced drag of a continuous shape, the possibility of moving without bubbles or strain, these are not just technical improvements. They change the relationship between diver and ocean.

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Marine protected areas are supposed to be safe havens for coral reefs, seagrass, fish nurseries and coastal wildlife. But a new global study suggests that many of them are protected in name only.

Research from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the University of Queensland, published in Ocean & Coastal Management, found that nearly three out of four marine protected areas (MPAs) worldwide are exposed to sewage pollution. In the tropical ocean regions most vital for coral reefs and marine biodiversity, the situation is even worse: between 87 percent and 92 percent of protected areas are contaminated, often at pollution levels ten times higher than nearby unprotected waters.

The study evaluated more than 16,000 marine protected areas globally, and the findings land at an uncomfortable moment. Governments around the world have committed to protecting 30 percent of the ocean by 2030, under the international “30 by 30” biodiversity target.

But protecting lines on a map means little if polluted wastewater keeps pouring in from land.

Wastewater: used water from homes, businesses and sewage systems, carries nutrients, pathogens and chemicals into rivers and oceans. Those pollutants can fuel harmful algal blooms, weaken coral reefs, damage seagrass meadows and threaten marine wildlife. Scientists have already linked wastewater pollution to coral reef decline around the world and even Alzheimer’s-like brain disease in dolphins.

And this is not just a marine issue. Polluted water is also a human health crisis, contributing to diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever and causing an estimated 1.4 million deaths each year, alongside billions in economic losses.

“What we found was striking,” said lead author David E. Carrasco Rivera, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Queensland. “In region after region, the areas set aside for conservation were actually receiving more pollution than the areas with no protection at all.”

The researchers closely analyzed 1,855 coastal MPAs in six tropical regions, including East Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Coral Triangle, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean, Australasia and Melanesia, and the Middle East and North Africa.

“Even a perfectly managed marine protected area will fail if wastewater keeps flowing in from upstream,” said Dr. Amelia Wenger, WCS Global Water Pollution Lead.

The message is simple: ocean conservation cannot stop at the shoreline. If governments want marine protected areas to actually protect marine life, they need to invest in sewage treatment, land-based pollution control, and smarter coastal planning, before “protected” becomes another empty word.

The question begs to be answered: can private people protect land better than poorly-run government bodies? And ask yourself when you are staying at a tropical resort or visit a nature paradise? Where is all my plastic and poop going?

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At a time when Iran is again in the headlines for war, conflict, and fire, a different story emerges. It is a story about water, truth, and survival. Kaveh Madani, once branded a “water terrorist” in his own country of Iran, has been named the 2026 laureate of the Stockholm Water Prize, often called the Nobel Prize of water.

It is a striking reversal. A scientist exiled for telling inconvenient truths about water scarcity is now being honored on the global stage for the very same work.

Madani, now director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, has spent his career confronting one of the most uncomfortable realities of our time. The world is not facing a temporary water crisis. It is entering what he calls “water bankruptcy.” This is not semantics. It is a shift in how we understand collapse. In his own country aquifers and water resources are being bled dry. Lakes, like Lake Urmia, have completely vanished from overuse.

Madani’s framing is simple and devastating. Humanity is no longer living off the renewable flow of water. We are draining ancient reserves, aquifers built over millennia, spending down the planet’s savings account with no plan to repay it. For countries like Iran, this is not theoretical.

Born in Tehran, Madani grew up inside a system already under stress. He trained as a civil engineer, studied water systems in Sweden, and earned his doctorate in California (like our beloved architect Nader Kahlili). By his early 30s, he was teaching at Imperial College London, one of the world’s leading institutions. Iran, readers should know, was the inventor of the ancient qanat system. They had water aquaducts figured out before the Romans.

Then he did something unusual. He went back.

In 2017, he returned to Iran to serve as Deputy Vice President and Deputy Head of the Department of Environment. It was a move filled with risk working with the regime there, but also hope. His calls for transparency, reform, and honest accounting of Iran’s water crisis collided with entrenched power in the Islamic regime. He was accused of espionage, labeled a threat, and targeted by security forces. Friends and colleagues were arrested. One of his friends died in custody.

Madani fled and then rebuilt his work, moving through Yale and eventually to the United Nations, where he now leads one of the world’s most influential water think tanks. The voice that was silenced at home now advises governments across the globe.

Today Madani challenged a core assumption in water management. That people cooperate. Using game theory, he showed that in reality, individuals, regions, and nations often act in their own interest, even when it leads to collective failure. Water conflicts are not engineering problems alone. They are human ones.

This insight has reshaped how water systems are modeled, negotiated, and governed, especially in regions where trust is thin and resources are shared across borders.

With nearly a million followers online, he has become one of the most visible environmental scientists in the world. He speaks plainly, often bluntly, translating complex hydrology into something people can understand which is the language of survival.

Water is not just about taps and rivers. It is about food, energy, migration, and peace.

He was also one of the first to push water into the climate conversation at the highest level. At COP23, he criticized the lack of attention to water in the Paris Agreement, a gap that still lingers today. Now, as director of the UN’s water institute, he continues to press that point. Without water, there is no climate solution.

The Stockholm Water Prize citation recognizes not just his research, but his ability to turn science into policy and public understanding, often under personal risk.

In his acceptance remarks, he spoke of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, where water symbolizes light and purity. For him, the prize is not personal. It is shared with those who stood by him, and with those who paid a higher price for protecting nature.

In a press release sent to Green Prophet, Madami says: “In the Persian tradition of Nowruz, water is a symbol of light and purity on our New Year table. To be named the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate at this specific moment is a vindication I share with all Iranians who believed in me when I was labeled a ‘threat’ for simply speaking the truth. I accept this honor with profound humility, and I am deeply grateful to my nominators, the selection committee, and the mentors, colleagues, and students who have been my intellectual family throughout this journey. 

“I share this award with the millions of compatriots who stood by me, with my friends in the conservation community, who were imprisoned and killed for their love of nature, and with the brave and innocent Iranian lives taken from us in January 2026, and those lost before and since.”

“It is a profound coincidence that this news arrives as my country and the region whose sustainability I have fought for have been burning in the fires of conflicts and a war being conducted in defiance of international law.

“I hope that in the midst of this fragmented world, this Prize and World Water Day serve as a reminder that water does not wait for politics. Water bankruptcy is a common threat that transcends every military line. We must recognize our shared vulnerability if we are ever to find our shared peace.”

The post From “Water Terrorist” to Global Laureate: Iran’s Kaveh Madani Wins the Nobel of Water appeared first on Green Prophet.

A new project in Spain shows how digital twins, which are virtual replicas of real environments, are becoming powerful tools for protecting ecosystems. Fujitsu and the BCN Port Innovation Foundation have announced a proof of concept to create an ocean digital twin at the Port of Barcelona. (Will they use Mirai robots at sea?)

The initiative will use underwater drones, artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to generate detailed digital models of the seabed and marine life. The goal is to support “the regeneration of the marine environment, the protection of biodiversity and the promotion of the blue economy.” Using non-destructive sensing, the system will visualize biodiversity, estimate vegetation coverage and calculate blue carbon stored in marine algae.

Digital twins work by collecting real-world data through sensors, drones or satellites and feeding it into a digital model that mirrors the real ecosystem. In Barcelona, autonomous vehicles will map the seabed while machine-learning systems translate the information into measurable indicators. According to the project description, “Machine learning models convert this data into quantitative environmental intelligence, estimating vegetation coverage, assessing habitat extent, and calculating blue carbon absorption.”

One powerful feature of digital twins is the ability to test future scenarios before action is taken. The platform developed by Fujitsu will allow environmental simulations to evaluate policy or infrastructure impacts. The system “enables the simulation of ‘what if’ scenarios, helping pre-verification of environmental measures before they are implemented to prioritize investments based on their real impact.”

Ángeles Delgado, president of Fujitsu Spain and Portugal, says the approach turns complex marine data into practical insight: “This project demonstrates how technology can become a true ally of sustainability. The ocean digital twin allows us to transform complex data from the marine environment into actionable information to protect biodiversity, promote blue carbon initiatives, and make evidence-based decisions.”

Ocean twins are part of a broader trend using digital replicas to manage environmental systems. Cities are building urban digital twins to model climate impacts, researchers are creating forest twins to track carbon storage and wildfire risk, and global projects such as Europe’s Destination Earth climate twin aim to simulate the entire planet to improve climate forecasting and environmental planning.

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Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) sound like magic: machines that can pull drinking water out of air. The idea is mentioned in the Bible, where the elders would pray for water collected as dew on plants and the catch on turning this into a machine is in the physics. To turn invisible vapor into liquid, you must remove heat, especially the latent heat of condensation. In real machines, that usually means refrigeration (cooling air below its dew point) or heating/desorbing moisture from sorbents. Either way, energy use rises fast as humidity drops. While many solutions exist on the market, the solutions aren’t magic. Too much energy needs to go into the AWG machines to make the water from thin air concept work.

Peer-reviewed assessments put many active AWGs in the rough range of ~0.35 to >1.1 kWh per liter depending on climate and design see this paper. A broader scientific review of atmospheric water harvesting thermodynamics estimates maximum yields around 0.34 to0.73 L/kWh under various assumptions, equivalent to roughly ~1.4 to 2.9 kWh per liter in the “best case” envelope. See PNIH resource. Lab and field results can be lower or higher depending on temperature, humidity, airflow, and heat exchange losses.

The core problems of AWG, water from air generators

• Low humidity = tiny water per cubic meter of air. The drier the air, the more air you must process to get a liter, which means bigger fans, larger heat exchangers, and more power.
• Cooling penalty. Condensation-based AWGs must cool air below dew point; that’s energy-intensive, especially in hot-dry regions where dew point can be very low.
• Heat management. You must dump heat to the environment (or recover it). Poor heat rejection and frosting risks can crater performance.
• Water quality isn’t “free.” Collected water still needs filtration/UV/mineralization and safe storage, adding energy and maintenance.

So how can AWGs be solved?

The most promising pathways don’t “beat physics” — they change the system boundary:

• Use low-grade heat or solar thermal to regenerate sorbents instead of running compressors. MOF-based devices have shown solar-driven harvesting in arid climates (Kim et al., in this 2018 Nature article).
• Hybridize with HVAC/dehumidification you already pay for to run. If a building must remove humidity anyway, capturing and polishing that water can be “incremental” rather than “extra.” While it might not run showers, the water can be used to water gardens or flush toilets. See our article on top uses for AC water.
• Raise efficiency via better sorbents + heat recovery. New cycling strategies and materials aim to cut regeneration energy and speed cycles (Kang et al., 2024).
• Target the right use cases. Emergency backup, remote sites, islands, and places where trucking water is expensive can justify higher kWh/L.

10 promising companies in the AWG space

1. SOURCE Global (solar “hydropanels”) — promising for off-grid drinking water where sunlight is abundant (SOURCE how it works).
2. Watergen — large deployments and claimed efficiency improvements; best fit in warm/humid conditions. See our past article on Watergen.
3. Genesis Systems — containerized systems positioned for disaster resilience and humid climates.
4. Aquaria — scaling “water from the sky” for housing developments; success depends on cost per liter vs local supply (Time on Aquaria).
5. Skysource / Skywater Alliance (WEDEW) — notable for renewable-energy framing and resilience applications (XPRIZE profile).
6. AirJoule — one to watch if real-world data confirms lower energy via novel separation/recovery approaches (AirJoule investor deck).

   

7. Uravu Labs — interesting liquid-desiccant path tied to renewables and local bottling models (Mongabay India).
8. Kara Water — consumer appliances; compelling product story, but energy economics must be transparent (Kara Water).
9. EcoloBlue — long-running commercial/home units; performance varies heavily with climate (EcoloBlue specs).
10. WaHa from Saudi Arabia is positioning around “water + dry air” and grid-independent operation; worth watching for verified field performance (WaHa). Professor Omar Yaghi, a distinguished chemist from the University of California, Berkeley, and pioneer of reticular chemistry (inventor of Metal-Organic Frameworks/MOFs). Born in Jordan and working in California, he was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with Richard Robson and Susumu Kitagawa, for this work. Waha is active in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    

    

AWGs are rarely the cheapest way to make water where pipelines, wells, or desalination are available. They are commonly used by armies to create water in remote locations where energy isn’t an issue. Diesel or solar does the heavy lifting. But as materials improve, and as systems tap waste heat, solar thermal, or existing dehumidification loads, AWGs can become a practical niche tool, especially for resilient, point-of-use drinking water in the places that need it most in off-grid sites and in emergency settings.

Let’s aim for the day when fusion energy is real, and we can all pull water from the air to drink. Just add some Mayu minerals to make the water work well for your body.

The post What are AWG air-water generators, and why they aren’t a golden-bullet solution (yet) appeared first on Green Prophet.

Jordan, which has long received a lion’s share of USAID for survival, and which receives $1.5 billion USD every year to help with water and basic needs, is one of the poorest countries and most water-scarce countries on Earth. In parts of Amman, the most unwalkable city on the planet, households still receive municipal water only once a week. You order a truck and a you pay $50 or so for the company to fill up your water tank. If you are lucky, you build 2 or 3 tanks so you can be sure about your next shower.

National renewable freshwater availability stands at well under 100 cubic meters per person annually, which is far below the international benchmark for “absolute scarcity.” And Jordan has started building itself as a greenhouse and agriculture center of the region.

Now Jordan is advancing one of the the largest infrastructure project in its history: the Aqaba–Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project. The plan links a massive Red Sea desalination plant to a 450-kilometer pipeline that will transport water north to the capital. An original plan over the years was the Red Dead Canal, a partnership with Israel. But after decades of inaction from both sides, they want to do it alone if they can pull off the billions in financing needed.

In 2025, the Jordanian government signed agreements with a consortium led by Meridiam and SUEZ, alongside VINCI Construction and Orascom Construction. Under a 30-year concession agreement, the consortium will design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the system before transferring it back to the Jordanian government. The total investment is estimated at approximately $6 billion USD.

What the Desalination Project Will Deliver

At full capacity, the system is expected to supply 300 million cubic meters of desalinated water per year, covering roughly one-third to 40% of Jordan’s drinking water demand.

The system includes:

• A large reverse osmosis desalination plant near Aqaba on the Red Sea
• A 300-mile conveyance pipeline to Amman
• High-capacity pumping stations lifting water more than 1,000 meters in elevation
• Expanded storage infrastructure in the Amman region

The plant’s projected output — about 800,000 to 850,000 cubic meters per day — would make it one of the largest seawater reverse osmosis facilities in the world. Saudi Arabia, which borders Jordan, currently runs the largest desalination plant in the world, a title taken from Israel not long ago. Israel has long been a pioneer of membrane technology, which is the technology needed to separate salt and brine from the water.

According to SUEZ, the project “will significantly strengthen Jordan’s long-term water security while integrating environmental best practices in desalination.”

Who Will Profit from Jordan’s Water?

The financing structure is a public-private partnership. The consortium will raise a significant portion of the capital through a mix of private equity and project debt. Multilateral development banks are expected to participate, including institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation, alongside export credit agencies and commercial lenders.

Jordan’s government will ultimately purchase the water under long-term offtake agreements, creating predictable revenue streams for the concession holders over three decades.

That means: Infrastructure investors like Meridiam earn a stable, long-term return. SUEZ generates operating revenue from managing one of the region’s most strategic water assets. Construction giants VINCI Construction and Orascom Construction secure multi-billion-dollar engineering contracts. Lenders collect interest over the concession period. Jordan gains water security.

The question now is whether the financial model keeps water affordable for citizens while delivering returns to international investors? Locals I have spoke with found the cost of water to be negligible in their montly expenses, but will the costs increase going forward? In some countries the cost of water is free, and in others water is difficult to obtain, like on islands in Thailand where you can’t think of drinking tap water. Desalinated water is drinkable, as long as added minerals are put in place. Can Jordan do this?

Another option is for Jordan to strengthen trade with Saudi Arabia, which operates extensive desalination infrastructure along the Red Sea, producing over 3 billion cubic meters of water daily and accounting for nearly 50% of global desalination capacity. If the Vision 2030 ever comes to be, this is probably what will happen in reality.

The post Jordan’s $6 Billion Aqaba–Amman Desalination Project from the Red Sea Moves Forward appeared first on Green Prophet.

About 20 years ago we were all throwing out bottles and food packaging that contained BPA. The words BPA stand for (bisphenol A) – it’s a chemical used to make hard, clear plastics and protective resin linings inside metal cans. It helps plastics stay strong and heat-resistant, but small amounts can migrate into food and drinks. But the chemical is an endocrine disruptor, hurting our bodies in a number of ways.

We’ve come a lot further since BPA. We now have microplastrics and PFASs to worry about. Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are man-made chemicals and products made to repel water, grease, and stains. They’re in firefighting foams, non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing (yes, they’ve been used by the eco-darling Patagonia), stain-resistant carpets, fast-food packaging that seem like paper but which are water-proof, and many industrial processes.

PFASs don’t break down, and they escape factories, landfills, and training sites into soil and groundwater, eventually reaching our drinking water. Wastewater plants can’t fully remove them, so they circulate in rivers and crops too. Long-term exposure has been linked to immune, hormone, and cancer risks.

This report on Green Prophet explores PFAS in German drinking water.

Consumers can reduce exposure by limiting grease-proof packaging, choosing PFAS-free textiles and cookware, and supporting water testing and filtration in their communities. And now the EU is taking a bold step in making sure all European Union member states worked to monitor and reduce PFAS levels in drinking water. Consider that if you live in Iraq, PFAS are the last thing you need to worry about – European, American and Chinese oil companies are leaking crude oil right into the water, and they know about it.

But those same Europeans who want to make the world a better place, at least where they live, has created a  Drinking Water Directive. Don’t click on that link if you have an aversion to bureaucratic policy speak.

According to a press release sent out, EU countries will need to inform the commission on PFAS in water, including data on exceedances of the limit values. According to the commission, rife with overpaid bureaucrats who engage in political activities against western values,  the new reporting system is reportedly “simpler than under the previous Drinking Water Directive and reduces the amount of data to be reported.

“It is the first time systematic monitoring of PFAS in drinking water is being implemented in the EU,” they write.

What happens if your country exceeds the limits put in place? The EU countries must inform the public, and protect public health. Actions may include closing contaminated wells, adding treatment steps to remove PFAS, or restricting the use of drinking water supplies for as long as the violation continues.

The UE believes that people should have access to safe drinking water.

If you are from a non-EU country and are concerned about PFAS in your drinking water, take these guidelines to your ministry or oversight group in your region or country dealing with water monitoring.

The EU says that the guidelines were developed with member states.

“PFAS pollution is a growing concern for drinking water across Europe. With harmonised limits and mandatory monitoring now in force, Member States have the rules and tools to swiftly detect and address PFAS to protect public health, says Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and Competitive Circular Economy.

How to remove PFAS from your tap water at home?

Next question for readers and entrepreneurs? The most common in-home water filters that remove PFAS are activated carbon filters like those found in a Brita Elite jug or Berkey filter, but the best is reverse osmosis and undersink-ROs like Aquafor.

In Canada and the US, the main Berkey-style gravity water filter options people compare are Berkey, ProOne, British Berkefeld, Alexapure, and Waterdrop.

Dual stage filters (activated carbon + reverse osmosis) the best option.

If you are taking minerals out of the water, you do need to put them back in. The  company Mayu developed a novel method to rejuvenate purified water after understanding how “dirty” tap water has become. And on that note, here are 6 ways to soften hard water naturally.

The post Forever chemicals banned from Europe’s drinking water appeared first on Green Prophet.

Soil pollution levels in parts of Basra are 1,200% to 3,300% higher than those typically measured in cities like Toronto or New York, according to new comparative soil data. It’s getting into water.

When ExxonMobil quietly returned to Iraq’s oil fields, signing new agreements tied to the Majnoon field and surrounding infrastructure in late 2025, it was framed as a story of stability. Security concerns once deemed too great were now manageable. Production would rise, pipelines would be upgraded, and jobs would follow.

While the US company promotes its renewed developments in Iraq to extract oil from a field known as “Majnoon”—Arabic for “crazy”—located roughly 50 miles from Basra, a city of five million people, no press release mentions what oil looks like when it enters a glass of water.

Within a five-mile radius of Basra city, oil operations are dominated by the Iraqi state-owned Basra Oil Company and international partners BP–PetroChina at Rumaila and Eni at Zubair. ExxonMobil’s former operations were located farther north and do not sit directly adjacent to the city itself.

“There is oil in the water, and it’s in the soil. Half of my mother’s brothers—six of them—have cancer, the youngest being 40, with leukemia. This has become normal now. We know that the oil fields just outside Basra are polluting our water and soil, but what can we do?” asks Sara (name changed), a young environmentalist I met in Istanbul.

She asked to remain anonymous, saying it would be dangerous to speak publicly. Pointing to a map, she showed where some of the world’s largest oil companies—such as BP and Eni—are drilling close to city limits in Basra, indicating areas where cancer rates are highest. She said no local researchers will touch the subject that children in these areas are dying from leukemia. She knows some of them.

“I sent my sisters to study in Istanbul so they can be far away from this pollution,” she told me, pointing to her sisters we are sitting with at the shisha cafe.

“We know that there are high levels of levels of cancer in Basra and it’s known that oil is in the tap water. Of course I don’t clean my dishes with the water but we do use it for clothes and showering. Farmers use the water even though it’s not safe. Don’t clean dishes. Children living next to the oilfield in the area of Rumalia, with estimates of cancer being 20% higher than the rest of the country. Some kids are living within a mile of the oil drills which is not normal.”

Rumaila is known locally as the “cemetery” for the high rates of cancer and disease among the population, left in the dark without resources despite supporting the lucrative oil fields nearby.

“Children living next to the Rumaila oil field get cancer,” says Sara. “There are babies being born with cancer. My friend works at the government owned chemical company that processes oil. Her 5 year-old sister died of cancer. She was playing outside and fell on her eyes when they found the tumor. She died a year later.”

How do people in Basra cope? It is a mix of avoiding drinking the water and giving up. The water is still used to wash clothes, clean dishes, shower, and water gardens.

Cancer is no longer whispered, it is assumed.

The BBC has reported extensively on soaring cancer rates in southern Iraq, particularly in Basra, where decades of oil extraction, gas flaring, industrial runoff, and war debris have combined into what doctors describe as an environmental health emergency. While doctors point to gas flaring, our source says oil contamination in water and soil may now be the greater concern. Flaring can be reduced around city centers (although data shows that is it only growing in Iraq), but oil that has entered soil and groundwater remains.

The BBC reported: “For health reasons Iraqi law prohibits flaring within six miles (10km) of people’s homes, but we found towns where gas was being burned less than 250m from people’s front doors. A leaked Iraq Health Ministry report, seen by BBC Arabic, blames air pollution for a 20% rise in cancer in Basra between 2015 and 2018.”

Sara says flaring and pollution continue despite the laws, while government agencies and universities turn a blind eye to the health impacts. She also says oil company employees sent to Basra are exposed to dangerous conditions, often late in their careers, and later receive large pensions due to prolonged environmental exposure.

Doctors interviewed by the BBC describe pediatric cancer wards overwhelmed. Leukemia, breast cancer, and rare tumors appear at rates far beyond global averages.

A 2025 study examining soil around Basra found pollution levels 1,200% to 3,300% higher than those typically measured in cities like Toronto or New York.

Average TPH levels ranged from 8 µg/g (dry weight) in agricultural areas to 265 µg/g along roads. During the wet season, levels reached as high as 340 µg/g, as rain drives oil residues deeper into the soil rather than removing them.

The study concluded that oil refineries are the main source of soil contamination, with additional pollution from vehicles, fuel stations, power generation, and oil infrastructure.

For context, Canadian soil safety standards, used in cities like Toronto, set acceptable levels far below the hundreds of µg/g measured in Basra.

Another 2024 study found elevated TPH levels across Basra’s major oilfields, including Majnoon, Rumaila, West Qurna, and Al-Zubair, exceeding thresholds associated with human health risk

Iraq’s oil sector includes BP, Shell (formerly Basra Gas Company), TotalEnergies, ENI, Lukoil, CNPC, and PetroChina, many operating through state partnerships. Gas flaring remains widespread.

According to the World Bank, Iraq ranks among the world’s top gas-flaring countries. These emissions settle into lungs, groundwater, and the bodies of children.

“It’s not safe to grow up there anymore,” says Sara.

Government employees in Iraq are currently banned from speaking publicly about pollution from oil fields.

The post Oil pollution in Basrah’s soil is 1,200% higher than it should be appeared first on Green Prophet.

If you’ve ever picked up plastic on a beach cleanup, you may have held more than trash in your hands. A new study shows microplastics are rapidly colonized by pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria — turning tiny plastic pellets, wrappers and bottles littering the beach into traveling vehicles for disease.

RELATED: microplastics in plastic orthodontics aligners 

Microplastics — plastic fragments under 5 mm — now blanket every part of the planet. They are in plastic aligners used in orthodontics, and are in the air we breath. More than 125 trillion pieces drift through the ocean, with more found in rivers, soils, animals, and even the human body.

But scientists tell Green Prophet that the danger isn’t just the plastic itself: it’s the Plastisphere, the microbial biofilm that forms on each particle.

A team led by Dr. Emily Stevenson (Plymouth Marine Laboratory & University of Exeter) sent us a new study saying that they found that microplastics in real environmental conditions, from hospital wastewater to coastal waters, carry pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria at every stage of their journey.

Their study, Sewers to Seas, tested five substrates — bio-beads, nurdles, polystyrene, wood, and glass — placed along a waterway flowing from high-pollution zones toward the sea. After two months, metagenomic analysis revealed: Pathogens and AMR bacteria were found on all plastics, at all sites.

What they found as data

• Polystyrene and nurdles posed the highest AMR risk, likely due to their ability to absorb antibiotics and promote biofilm growth.
• Over 100 unique AMR gene sequences were found on microplastic biofilms — far more than on natural materials like wood.
• Some pathogens became more abundant downstream, riding microplastics from sewage outflows toward beaches.
• Environmental conditions strongly shaped bacterial communities and AMR prevalence.
• Microplastics near aquaculture sites may pose biosecurity risks for shellfish and filter feeders.

Each microplastic particle can act as a miniature, mobile petri dish, transporting superbugs from hospital wastewater to swimming beaches and seafood beds.

“This study highlights the pathogenic and AMR risk posed by microplastics littering our oceans and coasts,” said Dr. Stevenson. “We strongly recommend volunteers wear gloves during beach cleanups and wash hands afterward.”

Prof. Pennie Lindeque added that microplastics “act as carriers for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, enhancing their survival and spread… each particle becomes a tiny vehicle capable of transporting pathogens from sewage works to beaches, swimming areas and shellfish-growing sites.”

Senior Lecturer Dr. Aimee Murray concluded: “Microplastics aren’t just an environmental issue — they may be spreading antimicrobial resistance.”

The big picture

As microplastics continue to accumulate globally, researchers warn the Plastisphere could worsen the spread of superbugs. The study calls for: better waste management, stronger monitoring of microplastic pathways, urgent reductions in plastic discharge and an integrated strategies across wastewater, healthcare, and marine policy.

The post Microplastics Are Becoming Superbug Highways — New Study Warns Beachgoers to Wear Gloves appeared first on Green Prophet.