Ex-Enemies Join Hands in Exchange for Electricity and Water

Former enemies Jordan and Israel are working together in the fight against global warming by trading renewable energy for drinkable water, thus prioritizing climate emergency over national politics.

“It’s a win-win situation and a model for out-of-the-box thinking on climate security,” says Gidon Bromberg, co-founder and Israeli Director of EcoPeace Middle East, an Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian environmental NGO.

Jordan, which faces a shortage of water, will provide some 600 megawatts of solar-generated electricity to Israel. In exchange, the latter country will supply 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water. At peace since 1994 through a treaty, both countries have been hit hard by climate change. In Jordan, a solar farm will be built with transmission lines connected to Israel included. Israel, on the other hand, plans on adding two desalination plants to the five already in operation along the Mediterranean sea. The new Israeli government wants to build better relations with Jordan and this cooperative deal goes a long way to achieve that. For Israel, the climate crisis is a matter of national security. And Jordan, with its vast desert land suitable for massive photovoltaic power arrays, could help Israel achieve its goal of generating 30% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.