Gebremedhin Haile, NUIEC Scholar Lecture Series
Country of Origin: Ethiopia
Location: US
“Societal Resiliencies in Tigray, Ethiopia”
The war on Tigray (2020-2022) launched by the Ethiopian government allied with foreign countries has caused extreme suffering for millions of Tigrayans living in Ethiopia and abroad. Tigrayans have been deprived of basic human needs, indispensable services, and socioeconomic and governmental sector services. In addition to the war and siege, actors including greedy merchants and illegal trading practices within Tigray were prevalent and have worsened the situation. The study to be discussed was conducted to understand the impacts of war and how the community-based critical coping mechanisms were employed as a strategy to ease its consequences. The talk discusses how the war resulted in widespread starvation, illnesses, psychological trauma and loss of life. Besides, internal and external instances of usury, bribery, robbery, corruption, illicit brokers, misinformation, and unethical practices of greedy merchants were prevalent.In addition, market prices of wheat, maize, salt, sugar, and fuel hyperinflated by 323, 378, 1233, 1050, and 2726%, respectively. To cope with these painful challenges, Tigrayans found solace in their longstanding tradition of assisting one another, sharing resources with neighbors, friends, and relatives relying mainly on folk and traditional methods of resiliencies. and Tigray’s regional government supported initiatives such as urban agriculture, remittance facilitation, and cooperation with investors to assist society. The Tigrayan diaspora has also played a critical role in appealing to the international community to help lift the siege and financially support the people. Despite the hardships, Tigrayans have demonstrated tireless resilience, showing that building home-based self-reliance and resilience during wartime could be a good lesson for war-vulnerable communities for future generations.
“Hydroclimate Extremes in the Anthropocene”
Hydroclimate extremes are intensifying under anthropogenic climate change, posing growing challenges to water resources, agriculture, and ecosystem resilience worldwide. My presentation synthesizes recent research on drought dynamics, drought–flood abrupt alternations, irrigation water demand, and future hydroclimatic change across regional and global scales. Long-term analyses reveal increasing drought frequency, duration, intensity, and spatial extent across the globe, with projected drought conditions worsening under higher greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Comparative analyses demonstrate that drought projections show substantially greater drying trends due to increasing atmospheric evaporative demand. Global analyses identify emerging hotspots of abrupt drought-to-flood and flood-to-drought transitions, highlighting increasing hydroclimate variability and cascading risks under climate change. Projections further indicate significant increases in agricultural irrigation water withdrawal and evolving drought characteristics across major global river basins, driven by interactions among precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and socioeconomic development pathways. These findings demonstrate that hydroclimate extremes are becoming more frequent, intense, and spatially widespread in the Anthropocene, emphasizing the need for integrated monitoring, predictive modeling, and adaptive water management. The presentation concludes by outlining future research opportunities focused on hydroclimate resilience, water security, and climate adaptation through interdisciplinary approaches combining field observations, geospatial analysis, hydrologic modeling, and stakeholder engagement.
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