Amman, Aug. 22 (Petra)-- Rasmi Khazaaleh -- The Global Center for Climate Change and Water-Energy-Food-Health Systems (GC3WEFH) has concluded the first phase of its work in Jordan after achieving a range of scientific and practical results aimed at addressing the interconnected impacts of climate change, particularly water scarcity, health, food security and energy.

The project is expected to be extended in Jordan, building on the successes achieved during its first phase to develop new interventions that can be scaled up and implemented in other areas facing similar challenges.

Funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) through an international research grant worth a total of $3.8 million, the project brought together more than 30 scientists and researchers from various disciplines and institutions. The international partnership includes the University of California San Diego, which coordinates the project, the University of California San Francisco and Texas A&M University, in addition to the University of Jordan, The Hashemite University, the Royal Scientific Society and Jordan University of Science and Technology, as well as a number of national partners and institutions.

The project seeks to translate scientific research into practical solutions that strengthen local communities’ capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Project Director and Professor of Public Health at the University of California San Diego, Dr. Wael Al-Dulaimi, told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the first phase represented a pioneering research and applied experience aimed at moving beyond studying the impacts of climate change to testing practical solutions capable of making a direct difference in the lives of local communities, particularly in areas facing growing challenges related to water, health, food security and energy.

He said Jordan was selected as a key focus of the project because it is among the countries most affected by water scarcity and climate change, while at the same time possessing a strong scientific and institutional base and a network of expertise capable of turning research into practical interventions.

Al-Dulaimi stressed that the project’s philosophy is based on addressing climate change as an interconnected challenge that cannot be tackled through a single sector. Water is closely linked to energy, food, health and the economy, he said, adding that any successful intervention in one sector must take into account its impacts on the others.

"What we wanted to demonstrate in the first phase is that scientific research should not remain inside laboratories or in academic papers. It can be transformed into practical solutions that benefit people, while these solutions can also be scientifically measured to determine their impact and their potential for replication and expansion," Al-Dulaimi said.

One of the project’s most notable tangible outcomes was the establishment of a solar-powered water desalination plant in Al-Khalidiya in Mafraq Governorate, providing a more sustainable source of drinking water for local residents.

The plant uses reverse osmosis technology to treat saline groundwater and is powered by solar energy, helping reduce operating costs and reliance on conventional energy sources.

The University of Jordan inaugurated the Al-Khalidiya plant last June as part of the project. The facility has a production capacity of at least six cubic meters of treated water per hour and is equipped with a 10-kilowatt solar power system, providing water to around 100 local families at a nominal cost.

Al-Dulaimi said the importance of the Al-Khalidiya plant extends beyond water provision, as it serves as a practical model for testing the relationship between water, energy and health.

The project is studying water quality, costs and the sustainability of operating the plant, while also monitoring health indicators among residents. This, he said, will provide a database that can be used to scientifically assess the impact of the intervention.

The project has also included a wide range of initiatives, research activities and interventions designed to strengthen the capacity of local communities, institutions and researchers to address the impacts of climate change. These include drought-adaptive agriculture, water security, climate-related health, energy efficiency, community farming and greywater systems, as well as training and capacity-building programs.

The project also succeeded in helping develop a new generation of young people capable of working with scientific data related to climate and health. Al-Dulaimi cited the "DataJam" program, which involved 87 students from 21 Jordanian schools and resulted in 18 student projects in data science, climate and health over a two-year period.

He added that the project funded several entrepreneurial initiatives focused on smart agriculture and the development of new energy systems. It also supported capacity-building for young media professionals and activists in using journalism skills and creative approaches to raise awareness about climate and environmental changes, promote the rational use of water and energy, and highlight the links between climate, health and the environment.

Al-Dulaimi stressed that one of the most important lessons learned during the first phase was that local solutions are more sustainable when communities participate in identifying problems, designing interventions and evaluating their outcomes.

Local communities, he said, must be partners in research and implementation rather than merely beneficiaries of project outcomes.

Regarding the next phase, Al-Dulaimi said the results achieved during the first phase, particularly the transformation of research ideas into actual interventions and the measurement of their outcomes, had strengthened prospects for continuing the project in Jordan through additional funding and an extension of the program.

He explained that the next phase would build on the achievements made so far, gradually moving from pilot projects toward more scalable models, while focusing on documenting results, identifying interventions that have proven effective and assessing their potential for application in other parts of Jordan facing similar conditions.

For his part, the professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Jordan and the project’s coordinator in Jordan said anticipated additional funding would strengthen the project’s practical component, expand its work with local communities, increase the use of data in decision-making, support researchers, young people and local institutions, and enhance their capacities in the fields of climate, health and water.

He said the next phase would focus on positioning Jordan as a regional platform for testing and developing solutions addressing the interrelationship between climate change, water, energy, food and health.

The aim, he added, is for the project’s outcomes not only to benefit the communities hosting the interventions, but also to serve as models that can be replicated in other countries and regions facing similar challenges.

//Petra// MF