ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Ahead of two major climate summits in Egypt and the UAE this year, the impact of climate change in the Middle East - and pressing need for action to mitigate its devastating consequences - can be felt most critically in Iraq, a report has warned, as the local implications of a global problem become ever clearer in its southernmost province where the Tigris and Euphrates combine to form the Shatt al-Arab.
Public interest and policy responses have been slow to respond to Iraq’s heating climate, a recently published paper by the EU Institute of Security Studies (EUISS) warns, despite mounting concern among experts and activists in the region. The country also lacks the capacity to tackle climate change with ill-prepared government structures, it finds, as bad governance and policies contribute to exacerbating the environmental impact.
While the issue is outrageously unjust - the Middle East region has contributed just 3% of all global CO2 emissions since 1850 - its findings are nonetheless damning for Iraq; a country increasingly vulnerable to the impact of a climate heating at a disproportionate rate. In a significant move, the Iraq Republic announced on Monday that the country will soon have a dedicated Environment Ministry for the first time - rather than a role attached to another department as is currently the case - which may go some way to dealing with political mismanagement so far.
Discussing the risks facing the Middle East as set out in the EUISS report, the Arab Reform Initiative held a panel on Wednesday, hosted by Majd Alsaif, featuring panellists including the authors of the report, and Iraqi environmental expert and activist, Salman Khairalla.
Presenting to the think tank, Khairalla shared his perspective on the importance of preserving water resources in order to promote stability and protect heritage in southern Iraq where water pollution and scarcity is already a reality. Climate change is a leading cause, but so too are political failings.
More than 70% of Iraq’s water comes from outside the country, the executive director and founder of the Tigris Rivers Protectors Association, defending the country’s marshes since 2007, stressed. “There is no rain for more than half of the year,” he said, condemning the process in which rainwater from the other half of the year is collected and stored.
Since Saddam Hussein’s regime, Khairalla continued, there has been no agreement with Iran over water sharing issues, as Iraq’s government prioritises oil and economic ties. He is more hopeful for Iraq-Turkey dialogue over water, following the recent announcement by Iraq’s water minister over new negotiations between the neighbours next month.
Despite this, there are significant political forces at play in Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria (Rojava). “The Turkish government has been cutting the water supply for more than 3 million people in Hasaka,” he explained, citing just another example of water being used as a weapon.
In terms of domestic action, Khairalla urges the country to begin immediately. “On climate change, the Iraqi government wants to start from the end of what European countries are doing,” he said, referring to the limited introduction of eco-friendly policies. Tackling climate issues "depends on the local community, as well as governments around the world."
Assessing the risks associated with climate change in the region, the EUISS Chaillot Paper includes indices measuring vulnerability across the region’s countries in the form of climate risk assessments. Unlike progress in neighbouring Gulf States, it says, “actions to combat climate change have not been developed into a multidimensional long-term public strategy” in Iraq.
Although Iraq has said that it aims to reduce 14% of its current emissions by 2035 - the policy comes with the caveat that 13% is dependent on international aid, and just 1% will be as a result of its own funding commitment.
“Low levels of climate risk preparedness increase existential risks when it comes to human habitat, water and food security - which in turn leads to an overall higher exposure to conflict risk,” the report concludes. “Climate change therefore exposes these states in particular not ‘just’ to environmental risks, but also to political ones.”
Egypt is set to host the 27th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP27) later this year. It remains to be seen whether action will be implemented across the region desperately in need of political measures to tackle a heating environment.
