ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq is facing drought during a period that was supposed to be a rainy season, an official from one the country's climate change centers warned on Saturday, adding that “the climate change could be blamed for the weather change in Iraq this year and probably the last few years."
Harry Istepanian, director of the Iraq Climate Change Center (IC3+), told Rudaw in an interview on Saturday that “We have seen the drought in a period that was supposed to be wet for Iraq with the rainy season this time. Unfortunately, this could not happen,” he added.
Iraq Climate Change Center (IC3+) describes itself as “an independent research and policy think tank dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by climate change in Iraq.”
The Green Iraq Observatory Iraq, a non-governmental organization monitoring the country’s weather also warned last Wednesday that Iraq will experience the shortest winter in decades, citing continued seasonal disruption linked to climate change,
"The upcoming winter in Iraq will be the shortest compared to those of the past few decades," the Observatory warned on Wednesday, adding that "the shortening of the winter season in Iraq is one of the effects of ongoing climate change."
The Observatory further noted that "there is a fear among Iraqi citizens that the coming years might not see a winter season at all," adding that winter may end by late February or early March this year, compared to previous decades when the season lasted from October to April. It also warns that summer conditions may extend from April to October.
Istepanian warned that the consequences already extend beyond weather abnormalities, pointing to climate-induced migration. “According to the IOM, for example, the number right now is about 170,000-180,000 people who are displaced from different regions in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region… And this is going to continue if things continue like this,” he said.
Istepanian also added that Iraq is losing “five to ten percent of its agricultural land every year” due to water shortages and desertification, and that water reserves are at their lowest levels in decades.
He noted that Iraq emits about “240 million tons” of CO2 equivalent annually and is not meeting its reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement.
In February, Torhan al-Mufti, advisor to the Prime Minister of Iraq on water, stated that Iraq is among the top 15 most impacted countries globally by climate change.
The World Resources Institute lists Iraq among 25 countries facing “extreme water stress,” meaning it uses over 80 percent of its available water resources - making it highly vulnerable to drought.