Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Blog 9: Syria in Crisis



Syria In Crisis
Syrian forces are caught in the middle of the war as rebel forces fight the government.  The Syrian Crisis has been ever growing with high intensity and scope. The UN has estimated over 100,000 dead or displaced due to the civil war (nytimes.com). One of the Syrian government’s most prominent intelligence officers, Maj. Gen. Jamea Jamea, was killed during fighting in the eastern provincial capital of Deir al-Zour, Syrian rebels and the state news media said on Friday as government warplanes bombed the city after several days of fierce clashes. According to varying reports, the general was killed either by a sniper’s bullet or in an explosion during an ambush. His death helped rebels recapture some optimism after the fading of their hopes for American military intervention and the eruption of infighting with jihadist groups (nytimes.com).
War has, long lasting, multifaceted effects on the environment.  First, there is the actual physical disruption to the landscape. Weapons used kills wildlife, shatters soil systems, destroys plant life, and disrupts water flows, leaving ecosystems in turmoil. Large numbers of refugees in an area leads to deforestation (clearing of forests or trees) and erosion from the undue pressure put on the resources of a local environment. For Syrians this is a detrimental blow. As this war continues population rates change. This is due to refugees fleeing the country and high mortality rates. If we want to see a demographic transition to lower fertility and death rates, this war will have to end at some point.

Erica Warren
11/5/13
1:30 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/world/middleeast/top-syrian-intelligence-officer-is-killed-in-fighting.html?ref=syria&_r=0

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