Reading about the situation in the Middle East has reminded me of a book I read in 1964 that deeply impressed me. 'The Marsh Arabs', by Wlfred Thesiger, described the indigenous nomads of southern Iraq who lived in the marshes that were drained by Saddam Hussein as a punishment.
I remember reading a bit about them around the time Saddam Hussein was being deposed...
The demand for oil has caused huge ecological damage in the region, as well as the fighting. And Israel has completely destroyed the environment with all the building and waterr extraction.