Environment
Desertification in an Iraqi Bread Basket
The Basra region has been the bread basket of Iraq. But because of salinization of lands, decrease of water flow into rivers due to upstream damming, climate change and pollution, farmers are increasingly unable to farm. People dependent on fish and buffaloes in the marshlands are in competition for food.
Finding Solace in a Harvest
We took a big risk when we left the life we had known and returned to our ancestral village, guided by the desire to reconnect with nature and the land. Our new life amid the olive trees leaves us physically exhausted every day. Our minds, however, are finally at peace.
East Africa’s Worst Drought in 40 Years Is Threatening Countries’ Future
An estimated 1.4 million livestock have died because of drought in Kenya in the final months of 2021, which has taken a toll on herder communities. But these climate change challenges have perhaps come with a silver lining: Class sizes have increased, especially among girls.
When Nature’s Force Turns Into Political Intrigue
We passed 10 firetrucks and other groups in helmets, some in bikinis and without masks. Half of us stayed put, and the other half rushed to help tug at a hose that slithered up a dirt slope and to deliver water bottles to those up there working.
Tunisia’s Phantom Environmental Sector and its Fake Employment
As the gardening solution has done nothing to significantly reduce the problem of unemployment, so has it failed in its mission to buy social peace. Thousands of unemployed continue to protest in these regions, and industrial activity continues to be interrupted; even those with phantom jobs are getting restless.
The Oil Tanker Waiting to Ruin Yemen’s Coast
As each warring party points its finger at the other while the United Nations idles in the doorframe, the tanker sinks deeper into its final stage of decay. The lives of millions, and the environment on which they depend, hang in the balance.