Desertification threatens over half of Iraq’s land
Shafaq News- Baghdad
More than half of Iraq's land is now at risk of desertification after three decades of environmental, climate, and human-driven disasters, the Iraq Green Observatory warned on Wednesday, urging authorities to declare a climate emergency before the country's water, food, and public health security deteriorate further.
The environmental watchdog identified 15 major climate-related disasters that have reshaped Iraq's landscape, placing increasing strain on natural resources, reducing agricultural production, and adding pressure to already limited water supplies.
The latest national data show that about 55.5% of Iraq's land area is threatened by desertification, while roughly 23.2% has already been degraded. The Observatory also documented a sharp increase in dust storms in recent years, alongside shrinking green cover and worsening soil degradation caused by salinity and erosion.
Among the most severe climate-related threats facing Iraq is soil salinity, which threatens vast areas of farmland, while rising salinity levels and pollution continue to undermine water quality. The report also pointed to the drying of Iraq's marshlands, which has damaged critical wetland ecosystems and deprived many communities of traditional sources of income.
"Human activity has further accelerated environmental degradation," it noted, citing the lasting impact of wars and armed conflicts, oil and industrial pollution, and the conversion of agricultural land to other uses.
Beyond its environmental impact, the deterioration has also brought growing health and social costs. The report identified a higher risk of diseases linked to polluted water and inadequate sanitation services, alongside internal displacement driven by drought and the loss of livelihoods, food insecurity resulting from declining domestic agricultural production, orchard fires, and continuing biodiversity loss.
Calling on the government to adopt a national strategy to combat desertification, launch a nationwide tree-planting campaign, and restore green belts, the Observatory cautioned that the cumulative impact of these disasters is placing Iraq's water, food, and public health security at increasing risk.
Read more: Iraq’s Green Belt: The race to forestall desertification
