Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has announced plans to plant 5 million trees to help the country cope with climate change.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has announced plans to plant 5 million trees to help the country cope with climate change.
Speaking at the Iraq Climate Conference in Basra on Sunday, al-Sudani said that, with climate change, his country is seeing extreme heat, meager rainfall, and worsening dust storms. Last year, dust storms shrouded Baghdad in sand, forcing the closure of airports and schools. And drought has displaced hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, al-Sudani said.
To guard against climate change and slow desertification, the prime minister touted “a grand afforestation initiative, which includes planting 5 million trees and palm trees in all governorates of Iraq,” AFP reported. Trees provide shade, helping to cool cities, and can act as a windbreak during dust storms.
Read more at Yale Environment 360
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