Climate change can be overcome by combining self-interest with mutual benefit

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The Holy See’s Israeli Embassy hosts a conference on women in the climate crisis. Dalit Wolf Golan examines how residents of Holy Land can come together to solve their differences through a common project such as water accessibility.

By Devin Watkins

“As Pope Francis said in the days leading up to COP26, only if we all stop hiding behind our borders and work together can we create climate resilience and create solutions.”

Dalit Wolf Golan offered that perspective to Vatican News ahead of an event in Rome about climate change and women’s role in finding solutions.

“Thinking Green Together: A Feminine Perspective on Climate Change and Sustainability” is the title of the conference hosted on Tuesday at the Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences Auxilium, which was organized by the Embassy of Israel to the Holy See and the Association of Women in the Vatican (DIVA).

Problem persisting for a long time

Ms. Wolf Golan, the Deputy Director of EcoPeace Middle East, works to turn a common problem in the Holy Land—the lack of potable water—into an issue on which to build consensus.

Some Middle East households, she stated, have intermittent water supply. They can get water once a day, once every two weeks, or once every three months in summer.

“Now, imagine running a household like that,” she said. “You have a tank on your roof that stores water. But how can you bridge that gap when it becomes two weeks, three weeks, three months?”

This daily hardship can significantly impact the quality life of women in her community.

Listen to the complete interview

Women and water

Ms. Wolf Golan noted that water scarcity is a major problem for women. However, most political leaders are men. They have the potential to effect change, but often lack the desire to make it a priority.

“What we can do to bridge this gap is to make sure that the women’s voices on these issues are heard by the leaders.”

EcoPeace Middle East is a non-profit organization that educates residents of Israel and Jordan about water issues in their region as well as about how climate change could worsen them.

According to Ms. Wolf Golan, the water arrangement between Israel and Palestine dates back to 1995 Oslo Accords. It allocates 75% to Israel and 25% to Palestine. The arrangement remains unchanged because water is among the 5 “permanent status issues” that must be hashed out between Palestine and Israel.

Dalit Wolf Golan in Vatican Radio's studio

Dalit Wolf Golan in Vatican Radio Studio

Willingness to change

Ms. Wolf Golan noted that water has been in a significant change since 1995. She stated that Israel has more than enough water because of the increased desalination capacities and the ability to recycle wastewater.

She added that this new reality offers the “technical and real possibility for these allocations to be discussed, if there is the political will to do so.”

“This is something that very few people are aware of in communities that suffer from water crisis. We want to create a demand in the population for these issues being addressed. And women, who are on the front line of the people who suffer most from the current realities, are the most important voices that need to be heard.”

Transforming self-interest into mutual benefit

Though borders between Jordan, Israel, and Palestine are more or less open, Ms. Wolf Golan pointed out that very little political or common contact occurs between the three and that “there is a lot of mistrust.”

She highlighted her NGO’s work to break down the misconceptions through education and focusing attention on shared challenges.

“It shows that we all have a self-interest to address these environmental challenges, which in our case are usually connected to water or a lack of water. It is important to work together to realize that our mutual interests can be combined. And once you achieve that, then everything is possible.”

Faith-based reasons to work together

Religion in the Holy Land—rather than being a barrier—can help galvanize people into overcoming their differences to work toward a common goal.

Ms. Wolf Golan mentioned that the Jordan River was holy to Christianity and Islam, and that it currently flows at 5% its ancient flowrate.

“It’s also a symbol of a problem that cannot be solved unless we work together,” she said. “It’s a border. It doesn’t matter if one side cleans up the river, if the other side doesn’t.”

However, the symbol of religion can be used to bring together leaders from different faiths in order to reach a political solution.

The example shows how the environment can help different nationalities “come together to work on a common problem,” said Ms. Wolf Golan.