environment
Iraq's ghost villages: Islamic State drove people away
Nearly a decade after fighting ended in northern Iraq, the climate crisis has brought extreme heat and a water shortage, making life almost impossible
TL;DR
- Villages in Sinjar, Iraq, like Faka and Qubq, are struggling to recover from the Islamic State conflict.
- The climate crisis, characterized by extreme heat and water shortages, is now a primary reason for people leaving these villages.
- Drought conditions and rising temperatures are making agriculture, the main source of income, unsustainable.
- Lack of reconstruction, jobs, and basic services discourages former residents from returning.
- Iraq is ranked highly vulnerable to declining water and food availability and extreme heat, with projected temperature increases and water scarcity.