Impact of Climate Change on Iraq: Severe Water Scarcity and Desertification

Over the past few decades, Iraq has encountered severe environmental and ecological challenges resulting from prolonged economic embargo, conflict, and multinational military intervention. Such conditions have had a devastating impact on Iraq’s water and agricultural systems because of the neglected management of natural resources, leading to a significant depletion of its resources. The desiccation of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers has been attributed to the redirection of water resources by neighboring nations. This situation has been exacerbated by inadequate water management strategies employed by consecutive Iraqi administrations following Iraq’s occupation in 2033. Consequently, the agricultural sector has suffered from chronic irrigation water shortages. This scarcity forced farmers to abandon their cultivated lands, subsequently triggering widespread desertification across most of the Iraqi regions. The compounding effects of climate change in Iraq, including escalating temperatures, prolonged droughts, desertification, and increased dust storms, have markedly weakened the country’s environment, security, politics, economy, and agricultural industry.