More Iraqis Displaced Due To Climate Change

(IOM)

The United Nations said that Iraq is one of the top 5 nations in the world susceptible to climate change. Fertile land is becoming arid due to drought and desertification. Rain has decreased along with the flow of water down the Euphrates and Tigris due to dams in neighboring countries. Salinity and pollution in the water is increasing as well. Crops have declined as a result along with livestock and fishing. Thousands of people have left their homes because they can no longer make a living. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) released a survey for September 2023 that found the number of people displaced due to the environment has increased.

 

The IOM found 21,798 families displaced in Iraq due to climate change. That’s a total of 130,788 people across 12 provinces in the country. That was up from 83,520 people in June, an increase of 47,268 people in three months. The main reason is people can no longer make a living from agriculture, livestock and fishing.

 

The province with the most displaced is Dhi Qar with 47% of the total or 10,259 families. That’s followed by Maysan with 4852 families, Muthanna with 1689 families, and Qadisiya with 1650 families. 47% of people have gone to urban areas looking for work.

 

The Iraqi government has tried to make plans to deal with this growing disaster but has been ineffective. That’s due to lack of capacity and money, conflicts between different offices and between Baghdad and the provinces. Many times when an order comes down from the capital for instance it is ignored at the local level. Most importantly the elite do not consider this a problem because they are living a life of luxury different from the rest of the population. Without their support nothing serious will happen.

 

SOURCES

 

Berghof Foundation, “Climate change effects on conflict dynamics in Iraq Study of Makhmur, Tal Afar, and Al-Rifai districts,” October 2023

 

International Organization for Migration, “Climate-Induced Displacement - Southern Iraq, Data Collection Period: 1-15 June 2023,” 7/10/23

- “Climate-Induced Displacement – Southern Iraq, Data Collection Period: 1-15 September, 2023,” 10/15/23