"A Siege of Salt and Sand"

      "A Siege of Salt and Sand" was a very insightful and informative documentary. In particular I think it  is important to see how world issues such as climate change impact individuals lives and culture. Often these big issues are presented through facts and predictions of what will happen in the future however this documentary highlighted how entire groups of people are having to adjust numerous aspects of their lives currently. This perspective displays the significance of climate change not only for the future but also for today.In developed and underdeveloped countries climate change is not always viewed with equal importance as economics or politics unless individuals are directly impacted by these issues.

     This film discussed distinct issues that inhabitants of Tunisia are experiencing beginning with a lack of policy. In 2011 the country experienced political reformation in its shift from dictatorship to democracy. This lack of policy has left many individuals in social and economic despair. There is also  a huge lack of water and diseases are that were not present before, are now arising . Leishmaniasis is a public health issue in Tunisia that is transported to humans through the bite of  a sand fly. This issue along with many others has surfaced due to the changes in the environment. Along with the  lack of water, temperatures have risen which aids the spread of infection.Lack of water serves as a huge issue economically, agriculturally,politicically etc. As one could imagine, farmer's of this land have extreme difficulty.Much of the land is not suitable for vegetation and even small amounts of land that are suitable for vegetation are often destroyed by the powerful winds. Individuals have created systems of irrigation however there still does not seem to be enough water flow.

     In southeast Tunisia people are experiencing a problem that is different but just as devastating as the environmental experiences in southern Tunisia.There seems to be no more fish in the sea and water has advanced the shore turning land that was once filled with palm trees into salt flats. Economically this is devastating for businesses.Culturally, lands are being wiped away that hold great significance to its people. Places that once were able to take advantage of having their businesses sit close to the shore of the water, will  now face a safety hazard of the water flooding their businesses. 

     Overall in various parts of the country citizens will have to travel elsewhere for safety concerns, economic concerns and in general, hope for more governmental support. Individuals are forced to immigrate to other places for each of these reasons not because they want to but because at some point they may have to. This leads to a question of where and how? Where will these displaced citizens be able to go for new opportunity and how will they build there lives in other place with no support. Particularly, I wonder what this will mean for children that are growing up in the midst of this environmental and political uncertainty. Another factor that is important to consider is what does the instability of this country mean for the surrounding regions and for foreign politics. 

     Many of the issues in this country seem to stem from issues that would not be present if governmental support was provided to the citizens'. For example the spread of leishmanias may not have been as harsh if proper health care was provided to people or if the individuals in southern Tunisia were properly supported in creating successful systems of irrigation and successful methods of blocking the sand.The environmental circumstances that this area is experiencing may cause other states to intervene in order for Tunisian citizens to have access to the basic necessities that they deserve as human beings.