In the unforgiving climes of rural Tunisia, where the sun beats down with a relentless intensity, 80-year-old Hania Hakiri embarks on a grueling odyssey. Her mission: to secure water, a commodity as precious as it is scarce. Carrying two containers, she toils under the scorching sun, a burden that weighs heavily on her aging back. This arid landscape holds no water; if it were available at home, freedom would be within reach. But for Hania and countless others, the quest for water is a daily reminder of the harsh realities of life in a warming world.
Once a vibrant symbol of Tunisia's lush agriculture, the prickly pear plant has succumbed to a silent invasion. These once lush green cacti, which stretch across nearly 1.5 million acres of the country's agricultural land, are now turning a dull gray. The culprit? A tiny insect known as the cotal, which is devastating harvests and, with them, a significant portion of Tunisia's economy.