Iraq: Iraq’s Prime Minister unveiled a plan to plant five million palm trees as part of a push to mitigate the severe effects of climate change on the country’s water shortage.

Iraq, which is oil-rich but war-torn, experiences high summer heat, frequent droughts, desertification, and frequent dust storms, all made worse by a warming globe. More than seven million Iraqis have already been impacted by climate change, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to leave their homes due to drought, according to Prime Minister Mr. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

The PM listed issues that “threaten food, health, environmental, and community security,” such as “high temperatures, shortage of rain, and an increase in dust storms,” as well as dwindling green spaces. Mr. Sudani, who assumed office in late October, claimed his government was undertaking “a grand afforestation initiative, which includes planting five million trees and palm trees in all governorates of Iraq.”

Almost a dozen significant sand or dust storms blanketed Baghdad and other locations in the spring of last year, forcing the closure of airports and schools and causing breathing problems for thousands of people. Speaking at a meeting in the southern city of Basra, Sudani said that the government was working on a more comprehensive “Iraqi vision for climate action.” The gathering was attended by international ambassadors and UN representatives.

Without providing information on funding or timetables, he said the plan would encourage using clean and renewable energy, new irrigation and water treatment initiatives, and a reduction in the flaring of industrial gas. Mr. Sudani stated Iraq was “moving forward to conclude contracts for constructing renewable energy power plants to provide one-third of our electricity demand by 2030.”

WORLD ROUNDUP: Indonesia’s most active volcano Merapi erupts