Climate Change Drives Internal Displacement in Iraq
Iraq faces two dilemmas- environmental degradation and the response to mass migration to the Kurdistan region. The UN Global Environment Outlook-6 identified Iraq as the world’s fifth most vulnerable country to water and food scarcity and extreme weather—and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) needs funding to accommodate a surge of climate-driven displaced peoples. Foreign aid must be scaled up to tackle Iraq’s climate crisis, support affected communities, and alleviate the pressures facing the Kurdistan region. In the wake of the damage the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has done to USAID, the international community should rally to provide support and fight climate change in the country.
Iraq has over 1 million internally displaced peoples (IDPs), many of whom have relocated to the Kurdistan region. In May 2024, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan region, Masrour Barzani, spoke at a symposium on drought and the impact of climate change, underscoring the overwhelming prospect of climate-induced migration. Urging Erbil—the capital of the Kurdistan region—the central Iraqi government, and the international community to act quickly and aggressively; he encouraged a plan to develop “immediate and long-term strategies to address the risks posed by climate change, adapt to its consequences, and prevent disasters.” Therefore, the United States should channel funding to Iraq’s climate-affected communities to cultivate local involvement in early warning systems and response mechanisms. In humanitarianism and development, localization refers to the intuitive approach of managing crises from within local communities and creating solutions that are indigenous to the affected region. A sustainable strategy will emerge by utilizing international organizations’ capacities- designed by the affected communities themselves and capable of providing a roadmap for future natural disaster management. It is important to stress the localization component of such measures because local and endogenous methods of resilience are vital to curb climate-caused displacement.
Desert regions make up 40 percent of Iraq’s geography, and mountainous regions make up 30 percent. Dryland degradation, or desertification, has been aggravated by climate change, evident in the declining average rainfall and floods. Most fleeing environmental degradation migrate from central and southern Iraq. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) deduced how many IDPs were forced to abandon their agricultural livelihoods due to climate change: based on a survey in thousands of villages and neighborhoods, in which 97 percent of recorded IDP individuals live, over half of those areas whose main source of income was agriculture, livestock, and fishing were abandoned due to environmental degradation.
As donations from the international community dwindle, civil society organizations and the government of the Kurdistan region lack the financial capacity to provide services to refugees and IDPs. The government of the Kurdistan region pays for 80 percent of these services to this population. This reality is not sustainable. The need for external support has been acknowledged and addressed by the international community to some degree, but the United States needs to showcase greater aid commitment.
What has current development aid looked like for climate sustainability in Iraq? Before Elon Musk dismantled it, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invested in water management, increasing access to potable water for over 12 million Iraqis, and training staff in water system management. They provided $1.7 million to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) working in green energy and climate-related sectors. It stands to reason that water management training and investment in SMEs will increase food production.
Awareness raising was also a component of the USAID approach. Deliverables from their project Sustainable Climate Adaptation in Iraq show five local schools participated in a desertification awareness campaign and 4,500 individuals followed the Female Journalists for Climate media platform, disseminating content that reached half a million people. USAID’s accomplishments highlight the importance of public information campaigns, showing that they ought to be further funded.
Strengthening early warning systems will ensure evacuation plans are in preparation. An early warning mechanism is an integrated system comprised of hazard monitoring, forecasting, disaster risk assessment, and communication and preparedness activities. “Green reintegration,” an endeavor spearheaded by IOM, offers training and employment in sustainable environmental sectors for individuals who return to the original site of the disaster. Another UN agency, the United Nations Environment Program, conducted a Climate Change Awareness Raising Workshop with the Iraqi government, which featured presentations on early warning systems and the potential of Geospatial Information Systems to support climate change adaptation measures. Participants developed climate scenarios and priority actions in a natural disaster or extreme weather event simulation.
When DOGE targeted USAID and discontinued its operations in February 2025, this immediately affected projects in Iraq, notably a $20m four year water and sanitation improvement project. It would reach 2.5 million people across the five provinces of Missan, Diwaniyah, Baghdad, Erbil and Nineveh; Nineveh farmers were forced to cultivate less land or use less water during the 2023 farming season according to a report by The Norwegian Refugee Council.
Other countries are stepping up to fill the void that has been left in Iraq. The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) donated to the World Food Program to promote climate-smart farming techniques, establish irrigation improvements, and provide financial support to help farmers and entrepreneurs adapt to climate change in Iraq.
When local communities are fit to maneuver humanitarian crises, the response will effectively curb the effects of the crisis, including migration. For localization to occur, the international community must provide the support. With U.S. funding, the agenda for combating climate-driven displacement should include: support to SMEs; training on water management and early warning systems that are implemented at a local level; and advocacy from political leaders and international non-governmental organizations about climate change and collective responses to ensuing natural disasters, because civil society cannot take the sole burden of providing vital knowledge to the public. The governor of the Kurdistan region cannot stand alone in his call for action.
Managing Editor: Olivia Parker
