What will happen in Iraq in 2050? .. The Middle Eastern threat that no one talks about

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[size=52]What will happen in Iraq in 2050? .. The Middle Eastern threat that no one talks about[/size]

[size=45]The Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, warned against the world’s ignoring the phenomenon of sandstorms in the Middle East, especially in Iraq, which cause billions of dollars in economic losses and health damage to thousands of citizens, pointing out that this phenomenon is liable to increase dramatically in the coming years.[/size]
[size=45]And after the newspaper pointed out in a report that sandstorms in the Middle East are ignored by the world compared to other types of natural disasters, and thus ignore their increasing effects on people's health and the region's economy.[/size]
[size=45]The report compared the scenes of the storm in Iraq with the scenes known to be in the United States, saying it is as if you are in the midst of a winter storm in an American city, where cars are moving slowly in the streets, and their headlights are shining in the middle of the day, as if they are passing through a layer of snow, but he adds that the place He is already in Baghdad amid temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, and that the streets were not covered by the white color of snow, but rather the orange color, which is the color of sand and dust that fills the air, indicating that similar scenes were recorded in Iran, eastern Syria and most of the Gulf countries.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that sandstorms usually hit Iraq during the spring months.[/size]
[size=45]But he added that the events of a storm are considered the tenth since the beginning of April, i.e. an average of one storm every week, explaining that it is a phenomenon that has worsened in terms of size and danger in recent years, and is expected to worsen in the coming years.[/size]
[size=45]The report warned that these storms “are not just a nuisance,” as they inflict heavy health and economic costs as well. In Iraq, about a thousand people were hospitalized due to respiratory problems, and the government declared a holiday to urge people to stay home, and many airports were closed.[/size]
[size=45]The report also warned that the economic and health repercussions of sandstorms have not been studied in the same way as studies identifying the effects of other natural disasters.[/size]
[size=45]The report quoted the academic at Oxford University Nick Middleton, who co-authored one of the first research studies on this issue, that the costs are very high, explaining that “dust storms can affect tens of millions of people, and their economic impact amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars.”[/size]
[size=45]Middleton said that the link between health problems and sandstorms is not always clear, but it may be "enormous", noting that "there are strong links between dusty days and respiratory problems and some heart diseases."[/size]
[size=45]However, one of the few estimates available on the economic costs of dust storms, from the World Bank, which spoke in 2019, stated that the global cost of dust and sand storms increased by 63% between 1990 and 2013 to reach $3.6 trillion. As for the Middle East and North Africa, it increased by an even greater rate of 123%, to reach $141 billion.[/size]
[size=45]The "Haaretz" report indicated that this estimate reflects the losses incurred to the economy as a result of premature deaths due to excessive exposure to dust, noting that Iraq, for example,[/size]
[size=45]Since 2013, it has suffered from an estimated 10,400 premature deaths due to dust, which imposed losses on the economy of about $15 billion, or 2.9% of GDP.[/size]
[size=45]He added that among the direct costs, there are losses due to closed airports, loss of crops and production stops, in addition to the holidays announced by the government, which the World Bank estimated at about 13 billion dollars, which means that the total costs of losses in the Middle East and North Africa region from sandstorms exceed 150 billion. dollars annually.[/size]
[size=45]orange warning[/size]
[size=45]The report confirmed that these costs are heading towards increasing, noting that the Iraqi Ministry of Environment monitored 122 dust storms and 283 dusty days during the year 2013 alone, but an official in the Ministry of Environment warned during the past month that Iraq may suffer from 272 days of storms. hourly averaged over the next two decades, which could increase to more than 300 days by 2050.[/size]
[size=45]In his research paper, Middleton documented, under the title “The Comprehensive Causes and Social and Economic Consequences of a Severe Dust Storm in the Middle East,” the repercussions of a particularly large sandstorm in early April 2015, which hit an area of ​​10 million square kilometers, including Iraq, Iran and the Gulf, It extended in the east to India and even to the Red Sea in the west.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that the storm forced officials to close schools in Qatar and parts of Saudi Arabia, which declared a holiday for workers, disrupted Saudi and Iranian ports, and forced airports in seven countries to delay, reroute or cancel flights. Construction work has also stopped in open spaces in the UAE, and Abu Dhabi canceled the Desert Challenge Rally because visibility was almost zero, and even solar power plants stopped working due to the accumulation of a lot of dust on the power panels.[/size]
[size=45]According to that study, traffic accidents have increased in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, and cases of respiratory patients in hospitals have increased.[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that Israel is not immune to dust storms, although it does not suffer from any of the same severe pattern as Iraq and other neighboring countries.[/size]
[size=45]The report explained; That the phenomenon of climate change is responsible for the increase in these extreme weather phenomena, but experts say that climate change is only one of the factors, and it will nonetheless have a greater impact in the coming years because it causes an increase in desertification and more severe drought, noting that the sources of dust and sand storms It is mainly due to natural and not man-made factors, but these factors are exacerbated by human activity.[/size]
[size=45]The report continued, explaining that poor land management causes the soil to become unprotected after the crops are harvested, and wars have caused farmers to abandon their fields, creating large areas of land where the winds can easily carry dust. Population growth and urban expansion also reduce the areas that previously housed plants that provide protection for the soil.[/size]
[size=45]In addition, large bodies of water have dried up, such as the Aral Sea between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and Lake Urmia in Iran, which was once the largest lake in the Middle East. Dam-building projects have also caused draining of rivers and reduced water flows to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Saddam Hussein even played a role in draining the marsh areas in the south. Some scientists also believe that the weather phenomenon of La Niña has contributed to the recent rise in dust storms in the Middle East.[/size]
[size=45]The report quoted a researcher at the Middle East Institute in Washington, Panfasha Kinosh, who doubted that Middle Eastern governments would be willing to make a great effort to address this problem, explaining that “sand and dust storms are often viewed in the Gulf region as natural phenomena that cannot be controlled.” To a large extent it.”[/size]
[size=45]The report concluded by noting that governments in the region have taken some measures, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged to plant 10 billion trees in Saudi Arabia and an additional 40 billion trees in the region in order to combat sandstorms and desertification. In 2016, an institute in the UAE launched a dust storm forecasting system that countries in the region can use to prepare for major storms.[/size]
[size=45]But Middleton admits that even if there is cooperation between governments, fighting sandstorms will not be easy, but he added that they can at least mitigate their effects and address the local factors that make sandstorms worse.[/size]
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