Climate Risk Profile: Iraq

Extreme weather events are already adversely impacting the people and environment in Iraq. Record low levels of rainfall and poor water resource management contribute to increasing food and water insecurity and related displacements. Sandstorms, extreme heatwaves and rising air temperatures are adding to the challenges faced. Confronted with such immediate risks to people’s livelihoods, trustworthy data is crucial to enable stakeholders to conduct much needed long-term planning that promotes resilience.

Weathering Risk’s Climate Risk Profile: Iraq provides forward-looking data on the climatic situation in Iraq with the goal of supporting resilience-oriented long-term planning. The paper summarizes projected climate parameters and related sectoral impacts under two different emissions scenarios from now until 2080.

The climate projections presented in the Climate Risk Profile: Iraq are the product of a collaboration between Weathering Risk and the AGRICA project from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts Research (PIK). They draw on the data and modelling work done by PIK’s ISIMIP project.