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In Antalya, Iraqi president says climate change cost Iraq over half its farmland
Iraqi President Nizar Amidi told the leaders’ summit at COP31 that accelerating climate change had cost his country more than 50% of its agricultural land. He called for activating the Loss and Damage Response Fund and facilitating vulnerable countries’ access to green finance.
Iraqi President Nizar Amidi said on Wednesday, November 11, that Iraq had lost more than half of its agricultural land as a result of accelerating climate change, calling for stronger international support for the most vulnerable countries facing the worsening crisis.
Speaking on the first day of the high-level segment for heads of state and government at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, Amidi said that “accelerating climate change has led to the loss of more than 50% of our agricultural land and an unprecedented rise in desertification rates,” Anadolu Agency reported.
Displacement and wetlands losing their birds
The Iraqi president said successive wars and deteriorating political and economic conditions had weakened the country’s ability to adapt, noting that about 20,000 people had been forced to leave their homes after losing their livelihoods. He added that climate change had disrupted ecosystems and driven birds away from their historic habitats in Iraq’s wetlands and plains.
Amidi said the international financing Iraq had received over the past decade was far below its needs, stating: “We renew our call to activate the Loss and Damage Response Fund and facilitate vulnerable countries’ access to green finance without obstacles or bureaucracy.”
Target of 14,000 megawatts from renewable energy
The Iraqi president reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement, noting that Iraq had updated its national climate plan through 2035, reduced flaring of associated gas from oil production by 75%, and aimed to end routine flaring by 2030. He added that his country had brought 1,430 megawatts of renewable energy into service and was targeting 14,000 megawatts by 2030.
Amidi also announced the signing of a contract for a seawater treatment project with a capacity of 5 million barrels per day, to be used in drilling and injection operations at oil fields instead of river and groundwater. He also said preparations were under way to establish a national afforestation fund to combat desertification. COP31, hosted by Türkiye in Antalya, will continue through November 20.
Photos: Anadolu Agency, Presidency of the Maldives (hall photo). Source: Anadolu Agency.
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