Climate Change Could Turn Iraq's Marshes Into Barren Wasteland

Feb 1, 2022 | Mina Aldroubi
View Original

Iraq’s marshes, home to the country's famed Marsh Arab culture and a haven for migratory birds, are under threat from climate change, water scarcity and increasing water salinity, the United Nations said on Tuesday.Aside from the threat to agriculture, domestic water supplies are also under severe threat. Iraqis had 2,100 cubic metres of water available per person, per year in 2015, Unep said, but that by 2025, this figure will have fallen to 1,750. It also poses a threat to industrial development in the country, endangering the livelihoods of its 40 million people.

Salinity occurs naturally in surface water but can accumulate quickly in hot climates when there is not enough rainwater to wash it away, reaching levels that can leave soil barren. Iraq’s 2020-2021 rainfall season was the second driest in 40 years, causing the salinity of the wetlands to rise to dangerous levels.