OCTOBER 2022

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FEATURE Storms Without Borders Iraq faces increased weather-related challenges BY ADHID MIRI, PHD Storms have no borders; dust storms show no mercy or dust, diplomacy. Dust storms over Iraq and the Middle East have become a huge problem for the countries involved as well as their citizens, impacting their health, the economy, the environment, and agriculture. Orange skies and reduced visibility is common in the country. Iraq’s meteorological office says that this weather phenomenon is expected to become increasingly common, due to “drought, desertification and declining rainfall.” This article examines what is causing the increase of dust and sandstorms in Iraq, the socio-economic costs, and what actions can be taken to mitigate and potentially reduce or eliminate these storms. Background Although the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers run right through Iraq, it is classified as one of the five countries in the world most vulnerable to climate change and desertification—the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. The frequency and intensity of sandstorms in the region has increased drastically in the last decade, and those numbers are still increasing. A combination of factors can exacerbate domestic security when climatic disruptions occur. Nations with a history of conflict, agricultural dependence, water deficits and political exclusion, where ethnic or religious groups have no representation in government, are prone to instability due to climate change. Iraq meets all these conditions. The Middle East is naturally burdened with strong winds, dry soil, and hot weather, which combine to provide the perfect conditions for sand and dust storms. Across the region, dust storms are always an issue, but each country has a different degree of vulnerability and weakness. Iraq is affected by the southern and southeasterly wind called Shargi (in Arabic, “from the southeast”), which is a dry wind with occasional gusts of up to 80 kilometers per hour. Dust storms are most common in late spring and summer, provoked by seasonal winds such as the Shamal, which originates in sub-Saharan Africa and blows in from the northwest. It is these two winds in particular which generate severe sand and dust storms in the region. Iraq has been especially hard hit, with storms occurring on an almost weekly basis this spring. In Baghdad, a typical spring would see about one to three storms per month, but at least nine major storms have descended on the country since April 2022, with more expected. Climate change Experts believe dust storms are becoming more frequent in Iraq due to climate change. Recently, an environment ministry official warned that Iraq could face “272 days of dust” per year in the coming decades. Iraq faces a unique set of environmental degradation plus increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, especially sand and dust storms. This takes an enormous toll on socio-economic life and human development in the region. The Sahara, the world’s largest desert, is the world’s largest source of atmospheric dust. While dust episodes tend to be seasonal and follow changes in wind conditions, a string of recent notorious episodes is causing increased attention. Climate experts say rising heat combined with decades of poor water management and inefficient agricultural practices have degraded land across the country, making it easier for dust particles to be picked up and swept across vast areas. Heat waves Climate science shows that hotter and drier conditions and increased land use, which leaves looser topsoil, make storms more frequent and severe. According to the World Bank, the mean May temperature in Iraq rose from 24° Celsius to over 30° Celsius between 1972 and 2007. A report released by the International Monetary Fund in March shows that, since the 1990s, the Middle East has been heating up twice as fast as the global average. Most of the storms originate in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and eastern Syria. Increasing desertification in Iraq is also leading to food security issues. Drought and extreme temperatures are drying up farmland and making large portions of Iraq barely habitable during the summer months. In recent years, Iraq has seen record low rainfall and summer temperatures regularly exceeding 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit). These apocalyptic scenes affect everyone. The climate disaster is here, with temperatures soaring across Europe, China, the US, and much of the northern hemisphere – with scorching summers becoming the norm. As scientific predictions become reality, the drought emergency is becoming palpable, indisputable, and widespread, and dramatic weather events are reported with ever-increasing frequency. Such patterns have disastrous, far-reaching effects – for the natural world, global food supplies, health, infrastructure and more. Climate change alone doesn’t give the whole picture, however. Inappropriate farming practices and mismanagement of water resources have certainly contributed to the problem. Water management Water levels are a major factor in extreme weather patterns. The effects of low rainfall have been compounded as the levels of the Tigris and Euphrates drop because of upstream dams in neighboring Iran and Turkey. In many Middle East countries, 85% of available water goes to agricultural uses. Climate experts say unsustainable agricultural practices such as overgrazing, excessive use of chemicals and machinery, and excessive irrigation – often encouraged by heavily subsidized water tariffs – are acting to drive desertification in the region. Iraq’s water reserves are already 50% lower than in 2021, and the water resources ministry has warned that the vital Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which provide most of the country’s surface water, could dry up within 20 years. The World Bank warned Iraq (a country of 41 million people) that it could suffer a 20 percent drop in water resources by 2050 due to climate change. Not all droughts are due to climate change, but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse. The world has already warmed by about 1.2° C since the industrial era began, and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. Across Europe, the situation is not much better. The picture is bleak for the continent and its waterways. Drought is reducing its once mighty rivers to trickles, drying up rivers, killing fish and shriveling crops with dramatic consequences for industry, freight, energy, and food production. No river is left unscathed; from the Rhine to the Danube, from the Thames to the Loire, waterways are failing at the worst possible moment as the climate crisis worsens. With no significant rainfall recorded for almost two months across 20 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2022
Rissafi Square in Baghdad. western, central, and southern Europe and none forecast in the near future, meteorologists say the current drought could become the continent’s worst in more than 500 years. Armed conflict Storms of all kinds have been hitting Iraq in recent years. Desert Shield, Desert Storm, political storms post- 2003, and now dust storms! Years of war have played a part in the degradation of land, leading to an increase in dust sources. During 1991 and 2003, Iraq saw very large military actions. Thousands of heavy trucks and military vehicles, some weighing more than 30 tons, crossed southern Iraq, driving mainly off-road. The trucks and tanks, added to the explosion of enormous amounts of bombs and rockets of different sizes and strengths, destroyed the compacted topsoil layer in large areas, causing emission of dust and facilitating in development of dust and/or sandstorms. Such cases have been proven by scientific studies. Decades of armed conflict have led to the abandonment of entire agricultural areas which have dried up and become a source of more dust. In the past two years, flows from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers coming from Turkey have lowered, while Iran cut all branch rivers going into Iraq. Also to blame are the strings of dams built on some of the region’s major rivers, which can block water flowing to wetlands. Conflicts also force farmers to flee, leaving their land to become barren and dry. Health Airborne dust presents serious risks for human health, causing skin and eye irritations, conjunctivitis, and enhanced susceptibility to ocular or eye infections. Depending on weather and climate, dust can remain suspended in air for days, causing allergy outbreaks far from their source. Some infectious diseases can be transmitted by dust. Meningococcal meningitis, a bacterial infection of the thin tissue layer that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, can result in brain damage and if left untreated, causes death in 50% of cases. Researchers believe that the inhalation of dust particles in hot dry weather may damage nose and throat mucosa creating favorable conditions for bacterial infection. Moreover, iron oxides embedded in dust particles may enhance the risk of infection. Environment Surface dust deposits are a source of micro-nutrients for both continental and maritime ecosystems. Saharan dust is thought to fertilize the Amazon rainforest, and dust transports of iron and phosphorus are known to benefit marine biomass production in parts of the oceans suffering from the shortage of such elements. But dust also has many negative impacts on agriculture, including reducing crop yields by burying seedlings, causing loss of plant tissue, reducing photosynthetic activity, and increasing soil erosion. Indirect dust deposits fill irrigation canals, cover transportation routes, and affect river and stream water quality. Reductions in visibility due to airborne dust also have an impact on air and land transport. As governments struggle to cope with the dusty onslaught, environmentalists and government officials say what’s driving the threat is a combination of climate change and poor water management practices that STORMS continued on page 22 OCTOBER 2022 CHALDEAN NEWS 21
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