Unless we change course immediately, large parts of the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent will become uninhabitable for humans (along with many plant and animal species) within only a few decades.
Hundreds of millions of people — potentially billions — will be forced to migrate. Or die.
Iraq, with its population of about 43 million, is one of the hottest places on Earth. Matters are made worse as power shortages mean that people have to rely on generators to keep their cooling systems on during the heat.
Extreme temperatures and a lack of electrical power are a deadly combination, and one that is being felt across Iraq.
The country is one of the world’s most vulnerable to climate change, faced with scorching heatwaves, reduced rainfall, water scarcity, and desertification.
Last weekend in Iraq, a nationwide power outage caused by an accidental fire at a power station in the southern province of Basra led to the almost total collapse of the country’s power grid on Saturday afternoon, adding to the suffering of many across the southern and central regions of Iraq.
On Wednesday, Baghdad recorded a high of 49C (120F) and in Basra temperatures went beyond 51C (123F); the hottest city in the world this week, according to the monitoring group Hot Cities.
The temperature across several Iraqi governorates including Maysan, Dhi Qar, Muthanna, Diwaniyah, and Najaf, in the southern part of the country also exceeded 50C (122F), according to the Iraqi Meteorological Organisation.
“Iraq is facing three perfect storms in the next decade,” said Azzam Alwalsh, environmental expert and founder of Nature Iraq. “Yet decision makers are not even aware of the abyss facing us, let alone thinking about solutions and the time needed to implement them.”
U.S. on Tuesday staged airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in #Iraq in retaliation for ballistic missiles fired Saturday against Al-Assad airbase that left four U.S. personnel with traumatic brain injuries, two U.S. officials said.
UPDATE: #FAFO US says it killed a militia commander behind the deaths of 3 American troops in Jordan. Or as Angry Staffer put it:
I like the finding out phase.
US military strike on Wednesday in Baghdad killed a Kataib Hezbollah commander who was responsible for attacks on American forces in the region per CENTCOM
“At a time and place of our choosing”
The U.S. conducted a drone strike against a senior Kataib Hezbollah commander in #Iraq, a senior U.S. official tells CBS News' David Martin
The disinformation surrounding Koran burnings in Sweden
Immediately after the incident, the volume of #Russian-language false information about #Sweden rose by several hundred per cent, according to the MPF, as did #Arabic-language information about the events.
Ordinary social-media users, in turn, amplified the information without checking its accuracy. In #Iraq, citizens were so enraged that they attacked #Swedish diplomats.
"Life for #Jews in #Iraq became increasingly dangerous. An illustrative example is that in 1948, Iraq had one national radio station, and multiple times a day it would broadcast the chant: "Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv will be roasted by flames and the Jews, the Jews will be the fuel."
Newspapers also published vicious #antisemitic stories accusing Iraq's Jews of being a fifth column for the "#Zionist entity..."
Exciting to spot Michael Ranowitz #Lamassu outside #Eastbourne’s #Towner gallery today - here for the duration of the #TurnerPrize2023 exhibition, here this year. It’s made of empty date tins - a reminder of the ecological disaster of the #Iraq war. For me also nice connection btw #oilpalm and a module on ancient civilsations of the middle
East i once did, a long time ago
⚠️ Confirmed: Metrics show internet connectivity has been shut down across most of #Iraq except the north as a measure to prevent cheating and leaked papers, as schools complete exams that had been postponed to mark the Prophet's birthday 📉
A unique coming-of-age story from the lost world of #ArabJews
Avi Shlaim was born in Baghdad and grew up in Israel. He is a Professor of International Relations at St Antony's College, Oxford. His previous books include the critically acclaimed The Iron Wall and he writes regularly for the Guardian, Middle East Eye and other outlets.
In July 1950, Avi Shlaim, only five, and his family were forced into exile, fleeing from their beloved Iraq into the new state of Israel. Now the rump of a once flourishing community of over 150,000, dating back 2,600 years, has dwindled to single figures.
For many, this tells the story of the timeless clash of the Arab and Jewish civilizations, the heroic mission of Zionism to rescue Eastern Jews from their backwards nations, and unceasing persecution as the fate and history of the Jewish people. Avi Shlaim tears up this script. His mother had many Muslim friends in Baghdad, but no Zionist ones.
The Iraqi Jewish community, once celebrated for its ancient heritage and rich culture, was sprayed with DDT upon arrival in #Israel. As anti-Semitism gathered pace in #Iraq, the Zionist underground may have inflamed it – deliberately.
This memoir celebrates the disappearing heritage of Arab-Jews – caught in the crossfire of secular ideologies.
The reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran has a positive impact on the region in terms of peace and security, Iraq’s president said during a meeting with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator in Baghdad on Tuesday.
#UnitedStates signals it is open to withdrawing some troops from #Iraq
As Iraqi opposition grows to strikes on Iranian proxies, #Defense Secretary #LloydAustin looks to begin conversations on ‘transition’
@FAIR is 🎯🎯 #Genocide is enabled by rhetoric like this
Thomas Friedman needs to take a long look in the mirror
As a shiksa who grew up in a Jewish neighborhood & whose friends had grammas w numbers tattooed on their arms, watching #Israeli govt descend into the exact insanity their ancestors fled is unspeakable grief
Israel when the US criticises it for taking a terrorist attack which the whole world sympathized with and using it as an excuse to kill a lot of innocent people
"Our partners in NE Syria, like all people, have an inalienable right to resist a genocide. Wars should not be directed against civilian targets. Silence suggests some tacit agreement.
There are about 70,000 ISIS members + families likely to be dumped on US forces when the misguided Syria policy comes crashing down.
Turkey was is and will remain the major source of ISIS and #Hamas support. US IC is playing a very dangerous & dirty game to get one new member in #NATO.
Turkey is a Hamas, Al-#Qaeda & ISIS ally. The US people have an absolute right to know who is selling our security short and people in the administration including those at #CIA#ODNIgov#NSAGov & #StateDept who have compromised our security need to go while their policy errors can still be corrected." -t.h.
Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement promotes regional peace, security: Iraq’s president (english.alarabiya.net)
The reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran has a positive impact on the region in terms of peace and security, Iraq’s president said during a meeting with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator in Baghdad on Tuesday.
U.S. Conducts Retaliatory Strikes in Iraq and Syria Against Iranian Proxies (www.nytimes.com)
The move, in response to a drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan, was an escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.