US diplomat to Iraqi leaders: climate change does not care about political parties

Shafaq News/ The United States is committed to taking meaningful action to combat to help Iraq meet future climate challenges, US ambassador to Baghdad, Alina Romanowski, said in a climate crisis op-ed on Saturday.

"Blazing hot temperatures, blinding sandstorms, and enduring droughts are now realities that negatively impact nearly every facet of daily life for millions of Iraqis," Romanowski said, "Without swift action from governments around the world – including the Iraqi government – the pace of these changes will accelerate, making whole areas within a region once dubbed 'the fertile crescent' uninhabitable for future generations."

"We must quickly take measures to preserve and protect our planet, and the United States is committed to taking meaningful action in the global fight against climate change," she said.

"This month, President Biden signed landmark legislation law securing the largest-ever investment in tackling the climate crisis, a $369 billion investment that will significantly increase energy efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas emissions."

"That international commitment extends to helping the government of Iraq to address climate change," she continued, "with the United States Agency for International Development leading the way, we have provided funding, technical expertise, and systems to help Iraq meet the challenges of the future."

"This has included improving Iraq's management of water, helping expand access to this vital resource for more than ten million Iraqis."

"We have assisted the Iraqi government in developing a five-year climate strategy to improve climate forecast communication to farmers and eliminate crop and soil damage, protecting Iraq's food supply from the dangers posed by increasingly unstable weather patterns."

"Two weeks ago, more than two dozen Iraqi officials returned from a visit to sites across the United States, where they met with hydrologists and other experts and learned about how the United States is adapting to climate change."

"Under the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE), the United States is committed to building stronger partnerships to increase our collective capacity to adapt to climate impacts."

"Fortunately, the Iraqi government has joined the global effort to reduce emissions, shift to renewable energy, and embrace climate-smart practices."

In 2021, it acceded to the Paris Agreement, set the goal of a one to two percent reduction in emissions as part of its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and joined the Global Methane Pledge.

"We urge Iraq's leaders to use COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, later this year to revisit and strengthen Iraq's NDC and invest decisively in the technology and investment necessary to achieve the goals it outlines."

"Climate change does not care about political parties or ideology. While talks on the formation of Iraq's next government continue, one thing is clear: Iraq's leaders, regardless of their affiliation, will continue to face the reality of needing to help its citizens adapt to a warming planet and an environment under stress."

According to the UN food Programme, Iraq is the fifth-most vulnerable country to climate breakdown, affected by soaring temperatures, insufficient and diminishing rainfall, intensified droughts and water scarcity, frequent sand and dust storms, and flooding.

Compounding this, water policies in neighbouing countries have shrunk vital water sources, while rapid population growth, urbanization, and inefficient water use by the agricultural and industrial sectors is propelling a demand for more water.