Community Resilience and Adaptation.....

Introduction

Building community resilience to climate change is as important as finding a long-term solution to Yemen's long-running conflict, which has left the country as the world's second most fragile state, according to the Fragile States Index(2023). Being environmentally fragile even before the conflict, the country has seen high levels of chronic poverty and food insecurity as a result of political instability, fragmentation of states, and heavy reliance on food imports, leaving it particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Globally, human CO2 emissions have increased by more than 40% since 1990, reaching 50 billion tons per year, while Yemen produces only 0.03% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas GHG emissions 2. However, the country remains highly vulnerable to climate change-related impacts, ranking 171 in terms of vulnerability to climate change and 180th in regard to preparedness3.

There are countless challenges in Yemen, including raging wars, fragmented government, scarce resources, and the failure of local stakeholders to address climate issues. Although many are concerned about the effects of war, it is equally important to build community resilience for climate adaptation using traditional knowledge, innovation, and social networks utilizing a bottom-up approach to resilience building. As the Yemeni population faces severe environmental challenges associated with prolonged conflict and climate change, developing community resilience is becoming increasingly obvious as a means of promoting sustainable survival and persistence in the face of climate change-induced events.

Background of Climate Change Impact in Yemen

Yemen is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite being a negligible emitter of greenhouse gases. Like other fragile states, it faces a climate emergency that has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including floods, droughts, severe winter temperatures, and heatwaves. According to the INFORM Risk Index, Yemen ranks as the fourth most at-risk country globally for humanitarian crises and disasters, with a vulnerability score of 8.0, and the third most vulnerable to climate change, with a score of 8.1. Between August and October 2025, flooding alone affected 68,000 households across 162 districts and damaged 56 health facilities4.

Compounding this, Yemen remains one of the world’s most water-stressed countries. Water scarcity limits access to safe water for 14.5 million people5 and has forced many farmers to abandon their livelihoods6. Groundwater is being extracted at unsustainable rates—exceeding natural recharge by 1–8 meters annually—which, under current trends, would deplete Yemen’s groundwater reserves within 20–30 years, irrespective of climate change 7. The cultivation of qat, a flowering plant containing the alkaloid cathinone, exacerbates the crisis; it accounts for 30% of all water drawn from the Sana’a basin alone 8. Additionally, climate change-induced sea-level rise increases the risk of saltwater intrusion, further rendering freshwater sources unfit for human use.

The rate of temperature rise is 0.39 ° C per decade, with summer months experiencing the greatest rises, showing that this rate of warming is faster than the global average9. Cutting down forests releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, limiting nature's ability to absorb it. As a result of the Yemeni crisis, which has increased deforestation and desertification, more than 5 million trees have been cut since 2018 to provide energy for bakeries and restaurants just in Sana'a 10.

Despite the severity of the war, which has already afflicted millions of Yemenis, it is increasingly clear that climate change and the country's fragile situation are pushing Yemen to the brink of the abyss. The vast gap in access to water across the country stems from multiple compounding factors: the destruction of water infrastructure, the dysfunction of water institutions, recurring droughts, and the depletion of groundwater reserves.

Agriculture in the coastal plains is particularly vulnerable to flooding while dry spells and drought cause desertification in other parts of the country, accounting for a 3-5% annual loss in arable lands 9. Crop yields have been reduced as a result of both flooding and drought. Furthermore, water scarcity remains the most significant impediment to agricultural production in Yemen, and future loss of water resources is predicted to lower agricultural productivity by up to 40% 9.

Current Climate Adaptation Measures in Yemen

Climate change adaptation measures were proposed to suit the context of each area, such as drip irrigation and improved water distribution systems, which would have demonstrable effects when combined with other supporting initiatives for water harvesting/diverting structures (eg, dams, cisterns, etc.) in coastal areas 7. This was part of the government’s climate adaptation strategy for some parts of the country, while the north and east regions of the country were out of the drawn strategy.

The Agriculture Vulnerability and Adaptation Study 2010 used different scenarios to project future changes in climatic parameters in Yemen. In the hot and dry scenario, the wheat yield is projected to decline drastically, while in the rain-fed highlands of Al-Mahweet, the wheat yield is less vulnerable. Appropriate adaptation actions were recommended to minimize yield reductions7.

Effectiveness of Climate Change Adaptation

The adaptation measures set by the government before the conflict were not effective enough to significantly address climate-induced issues throughout the country, as the focus was made only on coastal areas, leaving a large part of the north and east, where fluctuation of drought and rainfall impacted different life sectors for people. It was a good step to have some studies on the vulnerability and adaptation outlined in Yemen’s Second National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. However, the outbreak of war in March 2015 has hampered all development efforts, leaving Yemen in one of the most terrible humanitarian situations, with 377,000 people killed11 and 4.2 million displaced 12, raising the poverty rate to 80% among the population 13.

The socioeconomic challenges and instability posed major constraints to achieving the planned weak climate adaptation measures. Arguably, it is attributed to the fragmented government and political instability, the dispersion of the international community's efforts, and the focus of declined international assistance on emergencies. The Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2026 features little more than a pilot climate anticipatory action activity—designed to deliver timely, collective humanitarian assistance as an emergency response. Some may link the enhancement of climate adaptation to the improvement of the political and security situation, which is still blurred in the foreseeable future.

Community Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation

Though fragmented government cannot be relied upon to lead climate adaptation, the community has the resources and power to build fundamental resilience. A bottom-up strategy can simultaneously create state and national resilience14. Yemen has demonstrated considerable resilience in adapting to climate change through a combination of traditional knowledge, social networks, and innovation. A good example of an adaptive strategy is the use of sustainable water harvesting techniques such as hafirs, which are underground reservoirs constructed for rainwater harvesting15. Rural communities with scarce and unpredictable groundwater have used this technique widely. Another illustration is the traditional terrace farming method, which involves building stone terraces on steep hillsides to promote soil moisture retention and reduce soil erosion 16. This technique has been utilized for centuries and is still used in many parts of Yemen, providing rural communities with a reliable supply of food and income.

Yemen is adopting innovative adaptive strategies such as the use of solar-powered irrigation and water supply systems, drought-resistant crops 17, and reducing its dependence on fossil fuel-generated electricity 18 through community efforts as the government’s basic services are almost absent. Solar power is part of an energy revolution in the country of 28 million people, where fighting has decimated the electric grid. Almost half of Yemen's households rely on the sun for their energy, and solar arrays power everything from shops to schools to hospitals19. Moreover, community resilience and climate adaptive strategy have been fostered through community-based organizations and social networks. Social networks in Yemen play an important role, as the tribal system remains active in collectively addressing community-related issues. Social networks provide flexibility to mobilize resources in response to a range of events, from natural hazards to infrastructure failure20. With the bonding social network, the community-based Organizations bring together community members to discuss climate-related challenges and develop adaptive solutions, enhancing their capacity to cope with climate change.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, the prolonged conflict in Yemen has severely impacted the country's capacity to cope with climate change. It has disrupted institutional support systems and led to the loss of essential services, making it difficult for communities to implement effective adaptive strategies for climate change. Finding permanent solutions to the conflict will contribute effectively to addressing many thorny issues, but unfortunately, it is not expected in the foreseeable future. This means that relying on a fragmented state to take responsibility for climate change will further exacerbate the vulnerability of the community to the impact of climate change. Therefore, it is essential to build a more resilient community with a focus on enhancing traditional knowledge and practices, promoting innovative solutions, and fostering existing community networks. This would require a long-term commitment from the international community by providing humanitarian aid, technical assistance, and financial support to help Yemen adapt to the impacts of climate change. The responsibility also falls on the warring parties to facilitate the delivery of foreign aid to address climate change challenges through the proposed adaptation strategies concentrating on community resilience.

Written by: Mohammed Mwaffaq; Humanitarian and Development Professional with over 14 years of experience working for international organizations in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

20 references cited for this report.