The Climate Change Impact on Refugee Camps, Al Za’atari Case Study

Abstract

Historically, the Arab region has witnessed several refugee influxes between different countries when refugees aimed to secure their lives and to escape wars and conflicts. Jordan, in particular, received several refugee waves in the past century. These include Palestinian refugee waves due to the Israeli-Arab conflict in Palestine, Iraqi refugee waves due to the Gulf war and the American invasion to Iraq, and recently, Syrian refugee waves due to the Syrian crisis in 2011. Therefore, Jordan hosts a rich map of refugee camps across the Kingdom, which are built under emergency situations to respond to the sudden influx of refugees. With the time and resources constraints in place, these camps are often built fast and at low costs. Al Za’atari refugee’s camp, which is the biggest camp for Syrian refugees worldwide, is established near Mafraq governorate in a desert environment. While being put up in harsh desert habitats, the densely populated camp is facing multiple environmental challenges. Among the main critical factors that influence camps' vulnerability to environmental threats is the design quality of the built environment inside camps; as the urban formation and shelter design specifications play a major role in enhancing camp sustainable development. The desert conditions of the al Za’atari location undergo noticeable changes in extreme weather due to climate change. Hence, indoor and outdoor conditions reinforce camp vulnerability to climate change challenges, which requires further analysis and exploration. Therefore, this research paper aims to investigate the mutual relationship between the Za’atari camp and the environmental threats. The methodology involves reviewing the literature to enhance the camps-built environment response to these environmental challenges. Finally, the paper concludes with suggested practices which improve the quality of life for refugees in Za'atari camp, these include vernacular architecture for thermal comfort and green solutions for delivering basic services.