Historical, Economical and Environmental Impacts of Suez Canal Connecting the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea

Abstract

The Suez Canal is a unique sea-level waterway between northern Africa and southern Asia that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea via the Isthmus of Suez. The canal’s artificial navigation route substantially reduced the sailing distance between countries in Europe and East Asia and offered a more direct route between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean through the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The primary objective of this study is to document the historical, economical, and environmental impacts of connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea via a canal. After the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 the canal became an economically lifeline for Egypt. However, the economic gains were partially offset by negative environmental impacts. The impact of port activities on the environment depends on their cargo volume and location, seaports can have an impact on the air quality and therefore on the health of the communities along the Suez Canal. The salinity barrier to migration was removed and animals and plants from the Red Sea began colonizing the eastern Mediterranean. Since the 1880s, species from the Indo-Pacific Ocean have been introduced, via the canal, into the Mediterranean ecosystem. They are endangering some local and endemic species and impacting the ecology. The results showed significant changes in the shoreline and land cover due to climate change and anthropogenic activities that necessitate the implementation of adequate protective measures. The findings of this study may assist policymakers in formulating adaptation plans to protect this crucial area, the communities along the Suez Canal and the Red Sea and Mediterranean ports, from climate change and human activities.