De Mistura: Climate disturbances were an additional reason and an accelerator for the revolution in Syria

Stefan Demstura, the former UN envoy to Syria, stated, during a hypothetical conference organized by the Bigov Foundation and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, that climate disturbances were an additional and accelerating cause of the revolution in Syria.

“The crisis deepened further with Bashar al-Assad’s decision to reduce subsidies to the population, with regard to subsidizing fuel, water and electricity, and the crisis further exacerbated with water scarcity and sectarian and ethnic tensions in the country, as is happening between the Kurds, Arabs, Alawites and Sunnis,” according to the Dutch website Deutsche Welle.

He added, “There is a tense social mixture that has turned into an explosive mixture after the repercussions of the Arab Spring, as well as for other reasons such as fear of job loss and migration to cities, in addition to the decline in purchasing power and anger at the terrible ways in which the government responded.”

Demistura explained” The situation has worsened due to the geographical situation of Syria, and the interference of regional powers, especially Iran and Saudi Arabia, who share great enmity. We are starting to see a terrifying siege around many cities and towns, as the residents no longer have access to water or food, as happened in Homs and Aleppo, ”he said.

And he considered that Syria is no longer in danger of an all-out war, but it is still in danger of collapse, adding, “Bashar al-Assad has almost won the land in Syria, but he is still far from winning peace.”
Dmistura is the third UN official to hold the position of the UN special envoy to Syria since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, when he was appointed by the United Nations on July 9, 2014, and he resigned from his post in November 2018.