In 1798, the economist Thomas Malthus outlined his theory that the Earth's capacity to support humans will not be enough to match exponential population growth. Thankfully, he has been proven largely wrong. The number of people on the planet when he was writing stood at 800 million. If his observations were right, we would never have reached today's number of almost eight billion. But the warning is still relevant, particularly as we enter an age of unprecedented environmental instability.
Few threats are more pressing than global water supply. The UN estimates that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in regions with absolute water scarcity, defined as the inability to meet demand after all attempts at preservation have been implemented.
Today, the Middle East is among the earliest regions hit by the crisis. Most countries in the region are still managing to keep the taps on, but some are already being devastated. After a drought that started in March, Iran is now seeing deadly protests in Khuzestan province. Rights group Amnesty International say that at least eight protesters and bystanders have been killed. And on Friday, Unicef, the UN agency for children, announced that four million people in Lebanon are at risk of losing access to safe water. A quarter of those in jeopardy are refugees.
The Middle East is also going to have to deal with scarcity as a geopolitical issue. The dispute between Ethiopia and Sudan and Egypt over Addis Ababa's plan to build a massive dam on the Nile is an example of the complex diplomatic balances that will have to be struck between countries exercising a sovereign right to manage water supplies, against the rights of neighbouring states to not have theirs threatened.
Our region has known about this natural threat for years. But countries such as Iran and Lebanon are faring so much worse because of a non-environmental cause: bad governance. Iran has built 600 dams since the revolution, causing huge evaporation waste rates from reservoirs. Lebanon's preventable economic crisis, fuelled by political corruption and inaction, has pushed its water infrastructure to the brink.
Others are coping because governments have bought valuable time by preparing for a more vulnerable future. At first glance, the deserts of the Gulf would appear to be a more likely victim of shortages than a once fertile, agrarian state such as Lebanon. And while challenges do exist, the Gulf region's earlier acceptance of the need to manage supplies and prepare has allowed it to support a massive, decades-long increase in its population, while avoiding the terrible disruption seen today elsewhere.
There is still hope for countries that have not planned sufficiently to avoid a Malthusian reality, but governments will need to recognise mistakes, act quickly and make amends for their part in fuelling this premature crisis.
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
RESULT
Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata win by 25 runs
Next match
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Allardyce's management career
Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)
Countries (1) - England (2016)
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
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UAE's final round of matches
- Sep 1, 2016 Beat Japan 2-1 (away)
- Sep 6, 2016 Lost to Australia 1-0 (home)
- Oct 6, 2016 Beat Thailand 3-1 (home)
- Oct 11, 2016 Lost to Saudi Arabia 3-0 (away)
- Nov 15, 2016 Beat Iraq 2-0 (home)
- Mar 23, 2017 Lost to Japan 2-0 (home)
- Mar 28, 2017 Lost to Australia 2-0 (away)
- June 13, 2017 Drew 1-1 with Thailand (away)
- Aug 29, 2017 v Saudi Arabia (home)
- Sep 5, 2017 v Iraq (away)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
