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Dust Storms and Climate Change hammer Iraq

By Jassim Al-Falahy, Iraqi Minister of Environment, for Newsweek. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Dust Storms, Climate Change Hammer Iraq

In Iraq this past spring, the air sometimes was orange. Not the sky, the air. It looked like what I imagine Mars looks like from the planet’s surface.

Dust was the culprit, and it was everywhere.

Click here to read the full report.

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Iraq’s Economic Capital “engulfed in Trash”

From Rudaw. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraqi economic capital engulfed in trash, suffers from dilapidated electricity

Home to Iraq’s richest oil wells, Basra should have wealth and development to rival the Emirates.

Instead, the southern province is one of Iraq’s most impoverished – its residents deprived of even the most basic services and infrastructure.

Click here to read the full article.

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Iraq Dust Storm puts 5,000 in Hospital

By John Lee.

Iraqi media reports that one person has died and more than 5,000 have been hospitalised on Thursday as a result of the latest dust storm.

The dust storm is the seventh this month, with some experts believing they are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

Road and air transport has been disrupted.

Areas affected include Baghdad, Najaf and Anbar.

(Sources: INA, AP, AFP, BBC)

(Picture: A dust storm approaching Al Asad military base in 2005, taken by Corporal Alicia M. Garcia, U.S. Marine Corps)

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Iraq Ratifies Paris Agreement on Climate Change

By John Lee.

Iraq has officially ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The Agreement will enter into force for Iraq on 1st December 2021.

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change, adopted in 2015. It aims to keep the rise in mean global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celcius above pre-industrial levels, and preferably limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celcius.

The official notification from the UN can be read here.

(Source: UN)

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Fighting Climate Change “an Economic Opportunity” for Iraq

Writing in the Financial Times, Iraqi President Barham Salih argues that addressing climate change represents an opportunity for Iraq and the region to introduce measures that will leave them on a more solid foundation as they face the challenges of the decades to come.

Click here to read the full article (subscription required)

(Picture: Tigris river in central Baghdad; Credit: Christian Lindgren)

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The Massive Challenge of Climate Action in Iraq

By Lizzie Porter, for The New Statesman. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

The massive challenge of climate action in oil-dependent Iraq

Oil provides 90 per cent of Iraq’s revenue. Even as farmland dries up, fractured governance makes reform seem almost impossible.

Click here to read the full story.

The post The Massive Challenge of Climate Action in Iraq first appeared on Iraq Business News.

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COVID-19 and Environmental Sustainability in Iraq

Impact of COVID-19 on Environmental Sustainability in Iraq

Impact of COVID-19 on Environmental Sustainability in Iraq is the fifth in a series released by UNDP on the impact of COVID-19 in Iraq.

It emphasizes how the pandemic has exacerbated Iraq’s environmental fragility, which was already affected by legacies of conflict, lack of significant public sector and governance reforms, loss of development gains and illicit activity such as illegal hunting, fishing and logging, amongst other factors.

It outlines how the virus has led to some negative environmental impacts, such as increased quantities of medical waste, but also positive impacts, such as temporary improvements in air quality and ecosystems. It also proposes how key drivers of fragility can be addressed over time.

Click here to read the full report.

(Source: UN)

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Iraq approves Paris Climate Accord

By Al Monitor staff. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraq approves Paris climate accord in step toward curtailing oil dependence

Iraq faces significant hurdles in transitioning to an economy without oil dependence, and future trends can be expected to exacerbate those challenges.

Click here to read the full article.

The post Iraq approves Paris Climate Accord first appeared on Iraq Business News.