Iraq's Ghost Villages: Climate Crisis Takes Over from Islamic State

The villages in northern Iraq's Sinjar district are a haunting reminder of the devastating impact of the climate crisis. A decade after Islamic State (IS) swept across the region, the war-torn villages are now facing a new enemy: the climate crisis.

## A Decade of Silence

Faka, a small village in Sinjar district, is a stark example of the devastating effects of the climate crisis. The village, once home to about 150 families, is now a ghost town. The silence is deafening, with no children playing in the streets and no shops open. The roofless houses stretch across the hillside, their walls pockmarked by shellfire, while weeds and wild grasses grow through collapsed living rooms.

## The New Enemy

According to the people who returned, the problem is no longer just IS. It's water, jobs, and the future. Rajab Mohammed, the village's mukhtar, says that the battle to save the villages against drought and neglect has only just begun, and time is not on their side.

## Climate Crisis Takes Hold

The climate crisis is making rural livelihoods such as farming increasingly precarious. Temperatures in Sinjar have approached 50C this summer, and rainfall has become increasingly erratic. The UN has ranked Iraq the fifth most vulnerable to declining water and food availability and extreme heat. Iraqi authorities project that by 2050, the country's average annual temperature will have risen by 2.5C, with 24 additional days a year crossing extreme heat thresholds.

### Climate-Related Displacement in Iraq

| Category | Figures | | --- | --- | | People displaced by climate-related factors | 186,000 | | Year | 2025 |

## A Generation Lost

The villages are not simply losing people; they are losing a generation. Village schools have fewer pupils every year, and those who complete secondary education rarely return after university. Others head directly into construction jobs in the cities of Mosul or Erbil, where wages, although modest, are more reliable than farming.

## The Future of the Villages

The future of the villages is uncertain. The residents are struggling to survive, and the climate crisis is making it increasingly difficult. The villages need urgent attention and support to address the issues of drought, neglect, and a lack of jobs and basic services. If not, the villages will continue to lose their residents, and a generation will be lost forever.

The people of Faka and the surrounding villages are not just fighting for their homes; they are fighting for their future. The climate crisis is a new enemy that they are facing, and it's a battle that they may not win.