The once-fertile region around the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in West Asia has been experiencing a five-year drought, characterized by record-low water levels and rainfall across Iraq, Iran, and Syria.
What's happening?
As World Weather Attribution reported, persistent droughts, water-intensive agricultural practices, and unsustainable groundwater extraction are to blame for the West Asia crisis.
Agriculture accounts for over 90% of Iran's water use. Meanwhile, livestock overgrazing, soil degradation, and agricultural expansions are making the land less resilient to droughts.
Low rainfall has occurred across the region, while temperatures have steadily risen, depleting reservoirs and increasing evaporation rates. The region's drought has been elevated from normal to extreme and is now exceptional. According to World Weather Attribution, the conditions are so bad that 2025 is now Iraq's driest recorded year in nearly a century, dating back to 1933.
Why are worsening droughts important?
Droughts have widespread impacts that reach far beyond just the agricultural sector. They can force schools to close, disrupt transportation, and affect energy production, manufacturing, and tourism.
Increasingly, droughts are affecting daily life and leading to water shortages and food insecurity worldwide. When droughts persist as long as they have in West Asia, wildfire risks increase, local economies suffer, and populations can become displaced due to dwindling resources.
While droughts and other extreme weather aren't new, scientists have concluded that the human-induced climate crisis supercharges extreme weather events, making them even more dangerous.
What's being done about droughts worldwide?
In West Asia, officials recently adopted a National Climate Change Management Plan to boost resilience in sectors deeply affected by the climate crisis, such as agriculture and water. There's also a regional cooperation project underway to improve farm water management and encourage crop diversification to conserve water.
Wherever you live, you can help prevent droughts and conserve natural resources by living a sustainable lifestyle. There are simple, practical steps you can take to waste less water and embrace clean energy that doesn't pollute the environment.
For example, installing solar panels is an excellent way to reduce your pollution output while saving money on monthly utility bills.
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You can also learn more about critical climate issues, such as droughts, and share what you know with others in your community. Raising public awareness of the impacts of drought is an effective way to encourage those in your social circles to be mindful of their daily water and energy use.
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