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New report: Iraq is the tenth most polluted country in the world
Sweetened Last update 02/10/2022 | 6:09 pm
Information / translation.
A new international report revealed that Iraq is the tenth most polluted country in the world, with an average level of harmful fine particles in the air of 39.6 micrograms per cubic meter in the country.
In a report translated by the agency, Amwaj Media stated that the poor air quality in Iraq is caused by
vehicle emissions,
pollution from war, the
use of generators for energy due to poor electrical infrastructure, and
fires from oil and gas refineries.
He added, “While Iraq has ratified the Paris climate agreement and has laws restricting pollution, in practice the authorities have done little to reduce pollution on a large scale.
Meanwhile, with cancer and other rare diseases on the rise, many Iraqis are taking matters into their own hands to clean up pollution sources.”
The report stated that "the huge oil industry in Iraq is the main cause of pollution in the country, according to air pollution expert Hazem Al-Rubaie, who said that
"the Iraqi government was in a relentless campaign to increase oil production, without putting in place appropriate safeguards to reduce pollution, as the growth in the energy sector was staggering.
In the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion, in fact, Iraq's oil production nearly doubled from about 2.5 million barrels per day in 2010 to more than 4 million barrels per day in 2021.
The report indicated that “one of the highly polluting methods used in Iraq to extract oil includes a controversial practice known as flaring, which includes burning excess natural gas during oil extraction and has been linked to asthma, lung diseases, skin and cancer,” noting that
“Iraq is the second worst cause in the world in terms of The emission of greenhouse gases as a result of combustion.
During the massive fighting between 2014 and 2017, oil refineries, pipelines and other energy-related infrastructure were damaged, causing thick clouds of smoke that turned from daytime into the night.
Years later, residents are still suffering from this pollution, even as the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is carrying out clean-up operations in the area.”
For its part, the World Health Organization estimated that about 7 million people die every year due to exposure to fine particles in polluted air, which penetrate the lungs and the cardiovascular system, causing a variety of diseases.
The city of Basra alone has 2,000 cases of cancer annually due to this pollution.” finished/ 25 z
New report: Iraq is the tenth most polluted country in the world
Sweetened Last update 02/10/2022 | 6:09 pm
Information / translation.
A new international report revealed that Iraq is the tenth most polluted country in the world, with an average level of harmful fine particles in the air of 39.6 micrograms per cubic meter in the country.
In a report translated by the agency, Amwaj Media stated that the poor air quality in Iraq is caused by
vehicle emissions,
pollution from war, the
use of generators for energy due to poor electrical infrastructure, and
fires from oil and gas refineries.
He added, “While Iraq has ratified the Paris climate agreement and has laws restricting pollution, in practice the authorities have done little to reduce pollution on a large scale.
Meanwhile, with cancer and other rare diseases on the rise, many Iraqis are taking matters into their own hands to clean up pollution sources.”
The report stated that "the huge oil industry in Iraq is the main cause of pollution in the country, according to air pollution expert Hazem Al-Rubaie, who said that
"the Iraqi government was in a relentless campaign to increase oil production, without putting in place appropriate safeguards to reduce pollution, as the growth in the energy sector was staggering.
In the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion, in fact, Iraq's oil production nearly doubled from about 2.5 million barrels per day in 2010 to more than 4 million barrels per day in 2021.
The report indicated that “one of the highly polluting methods used in Iraq to extract oil includes a controversial practice known as flaring, which includes burning excess natural gas during oil extraction and has been linked to asthma, lung diseases, skin and cancer,” noting that
“Iraq is the second worst cause in the world in terms of The emission of greenhouse gases as a result of combustion.
During the massive fighting between 2014 and 2017, oil refineries, pipelines and other energy-related infrastructure were damaged, causing thick clouds of smoke that turned from daytime into the night.
Years later, residents are still suffering from this pollution, even as the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is carrying out clean-up operations in the area.”
For its part, the World Health Organization estimated that about 7 million people die every year due to exposure to fine particles in polluted air, which penetrate the lungs and the cardiovascular system, causing a variety of diseases.
The city of Basra alone has 2,000 cases of cancer annually due to this pollution.” finished/ 25 z
