Iraq among world’s top five countries hit hardest by climate change

Shafaq News– Baghdad

Iraq ranks as the world’s fifth most severely affected country by climate change, driven by unprecedented temperature increases over the past two decades, an official revealed on Thursday.

Speaking during a session at the Iraq Development Platform in Baghdad, Environment Ministry Undersecretary Jassim Al-Falahi stated that Iraq experienced a sharp rise in temperatures over the last 20 years, exceeding global scenarios that project a one-degree Celsius increase every 100 years. Even a single-degree rise, he explained, significantly boosts demand for energy and water, triggering health, social, economic, and environmental consequences that can extend into security and political domains.

Al-Falahi linked climate change directly to rising drought rates, noting that rainfall levels have declined by 35% over the past 30 years, based on data from internationally recognized research centers. Iraq has endured four consecutive years of drought, with the impacts intensifying due to reduced water inflows caused by upstream policies and water retention measures, he added, stressing that the country depends on transboundary water sources for 90% of its supply, leaving it highly vulnerable to water crises.

Iraq has seen a sharp increase in the number of dusty and sandstorm days in recent years, rising from around 160 days annually to nearly 250 days, Al-Falahi warned, cautioning of serious health repercussions linked to this trend.

Rising temperatures have accelerated evaporation rates, particularly given the thousands of kilometers of exposed river channels, resulting in the annual loss of between two and three billion cubic meters of water, alongside worsening land degradation and desertification.

Additionally, 60% to 80% of water resources go to the agricultural sector, which still relies on traditional irrigation methods, he said, noting that nearly 40% of water entering cities and urban areas is lost due to aging water networks and intersecting supply systems.

Iraq continues to face an exceptional water crisis that has dried up numerous tributaries and large sections of the southern marshes. Environmental projections by international climate institutions indicate that the country could see a 10–20 percent drop in annual rainfall by 2050, along with a temperature increase of 2–3 degrees Celsius.

Read more: Iraq’s water crisis deepens: Reserves collapse, mismanagement continues