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Iraq has been buffeted by ill-winds over the past 40 years. Wars, sanctions, terrorism and domestic conflict have threatened its stability and the well-being of its citizens.
But by far the most serious long-term threat the country faces is from the potential economic impact and environmental devastation of climate change. According to the UN Environment Programme, Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable country in the world to the consequences of changes in the climate.
Evidence of growing climate risks is all around us. Very high temperatures are becoming more common, drought more frequent, and dust storms more intense. Desertification is affecting 39 per cent of Iraq’s territory, and 54 per cent of our land is threatened with the loss of agriculture because of increased salination. Dam building on the headwaters and tributaries of the historic Tigris and Euphrates rivers – the lifeblood of our country – has reduced water flow, leading to a migration of the salt wedge from the Gulf upstream into the Shatt Al Arab.