UNDP | The impact of COVID-19 on environmental sustainability in Iraq
This paper investigates the direct and indirect environmental impacts in Iraq, set against the existing situation of environmental sustainability in the country.
Social Inquiry | When canals run dry: Displacement triggered by water stress in the south of Iraq
Poor environmental governance and a changing climate are leading to the displacement of people in southern Iraq, with families unable to sustain themselves from agriculture and livestock production.
IOM | Rural areas in Ninewa: Legacies of conflict on rural economies and communities in Sinjar and Ninewa Plains
Report finds that Islamic State’s extractive and destructive policies towards agricultural areas in northern Iraq are continuing to hamper renewed agricultural activities in rural Ninewa Plains and Sinjar and are delaying the return of IDP farmers to their areas of origin.
HRW | Basra is thirsty – Iraq’s failure to manage the water crisis
An investigation into the factors behind the water crisis in Basra Iraq, and the failure of the Iraqi government to address them.
SIPRI | A confluence of crises: On water, climate and security in the Middle East and North Africa
The impacts of climate change are particularly complex in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The region suffers from violent conflicts and severe water scarcity, while climate models show more serious scenarios here than in other regions. This paper explains how the security of the MENA region is inscribed in a new climate reality.
PAX/Bellingcat | Torching and extortion: OSINT analysis of burning agriculture in Iraq
This article uses open source methods and remote sensing to explore the trail of agricultural destruction caused by fires in central Iraq in May 2019, and reviews the evidence of whether they have been deliberately started by Islamic State.
Amnesty International | Dead land: Islamic State’s deliberate destruction of Iraq’s farmland
A year after victory was declared over Islamic State in Iraq, this report examines the human and environmental legacy of its strategy of wanton damage in agricultural areas, and why more recovery assistance is needed from the Iraqi government.
CSIS | Scorched Earth Environmental Dimensions of Postcrisis Recovery in Iraq & Yemen
This paper considers the threat that environmental degradation poses for peacebuilding and recovery in Iraq and Yemen, with a particular focus on climate change risks. But it also identifies opportunities for addressing the environment during reconstruction efforts.