Rwanga Foundation plants 1,000 trees in Erbil as part of climate change initiative

Shafaq News/ The Rwanga Foundation on Monday launched a climate change initiative in Erbil in a bid to plant 1,000 trees in the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region.

The initiative is part of the foundation's broader "Rwanga Forests" project that kicked off in 2022. The project previously targeted the University of Mosul and other governorates and universities across Iraq, facilitating the planting of 364,500 trees to date.

Henderin Ghazi, Rwanga's official for environmental projects, told Shafaq News Agency that the Erbil campaign utilizes Sesam trees, a species suitable for year-round planting and capable of thriving in variable temperature ranges.

 "Iraq ranks among the top five countries most impacted by climate change globally," he said. "Planting trees and adopting renewable energy sources are crucial steps towards addressing this challenge."

The impact of climate change grows in Iraq with each passing year, and so does the country's population — projected to reach 80 million by the year 2050 — while the country’s resources are decreasing. Temperatures in Iraq are rising roughly seven times faster than the global average, which diminishes water levels through evaporation. By the end of the century, water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers will likely decline by a minimum of 30 percent and up to 70 percent, necessitating long-range planning of resource management, particularly in agricultural areas. The loss of agricultural livelihoods in water-scarce regions has already accelerated migration across Iraq’s southern and central provinces and provoked local-level disputes over water sharing. As of September 2023, the International Organization for Migration estimated that 130,788 individuals remained displaced due to factors related to drought conditions and acute water scarcity.