Abstract
In October 2021, I arrived in Iraq’s southern city of Basra. Situated at the heart of the arid MENA region, Iraq is being ravaged by the soaring temperatures, drought and water scarcity characteristic of climate change. In this respect, it is but an acute representation of a global problem. But that is not all. It is also situated at the heart of what will only become an increasingly visible geopolitical problem: competition and control of natural resources. Ninety-one per cent of Iraq’s water originates in Turkey, Iran and Syria, leaving the country at the mercy of those controlling the taps upstream. Accompanied by a translator and fixer, I set out, travelling northwards from the very south, across the country, to explore how these combined forces were impacting those most directly affected and what that might forbode. ◼
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