Anticipated Disasters Should Bring Us Together

Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region

Written by Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister

The construction of a residential project on the slopes of Mount Goizha in Sulaymaniyah—possibly the most beautiful and distinctive residential project in Iraq—has generated controversy in recent days and divided the city's residents. Some people are against the project because they believe it will harm the environment. On the other hand, others claim that the project's possible environmental harm is insignificant enough to justify calling off an innovative initiative that will change the city's image. 
 
I do not have the intention to engage in a discussion regarding the favourable and unfavourable features of this project because this is the role of specialists in the field and stakeholders. Instead, this project and the citizens' debate in Sulaymaniyah provide an opportunity to gain a broader perspective, particularly on World Environment Day.

This great debate in Sulaymaniyah regarding the environment has generated criticism towards me, as well as the administrative and political authorities of the city. However, it has also instilled a feeling of pride and optimism within me. For the first time in Kurdistan and Iraq, the environmental issue is now a topic of significant debate. Citizens seek to exert pressure on the political and administrative authorities by highlighting the importance of the environmental matter.
 
Therefore, I am genuinely delighted and hopeful about the residents' awareness and the pressure they are exerting. I hope that it will extend to encompass every part of Kurdistan and Iraq. Despite our long-standing awareness of the anticipated perils of climate change, as evidenced by several annual reports and studies, both domestic and international, our political and governance systems in Iraq and Kurdistan remain mostly ignorant. 

Sincerely speaking, I do not think politics will become involved in this important and potentially dangerous matter until citizens and civil society apply sufficient pressure. Tens of thousands of families have been forced to flee their homes in southern and central Iraq due to natural disasters; desertification is accelerating; agricultural land is being destroyed; the amount of surface and groundwater is dangerously declining; and many more disasters are occurring right in front of everyone, but no one is saying anything about them, acting as though they are happening on a different planet. 

Undoubtedly, the risk of environmental degradation far surpasses the risk of terrorism. Terrorism is a temporary phase that will eventually come to an end. However, environmental damage is irreversible and poses a hazard to future generations. To clarify, additional deterioration of the environment serves as a direct cause of forthcoming instability.
 
Politics in Iraq has been conducted for a century under the slogan of justice, yet it has not been achieved. However, environmental deterioration may force us to face undesired justice. Justice in the equitable allocation of pain and distress, this implies that the impacts of environmental degradation are not limited to specific regions or populations while excluding others. 
 
The forced migration and instability in southern Iraq are negatively impacting the central area and even the Kurdistan Region, resulting in a significant loss of life opportunities. A more explicit illustration would be the build-up of hazardous waste in Tanjaro, Sulaymaniyah. This not only poses a threat to the environment and the well-being of the residents but also leads to contamination of the Tanjaro River. Consequently, this pollution spreads to the Darbandikhan Dam and further downstream through the Sirwan River, affecting the central and southern regions.

Therefore, even if we disagree on many policies, the environmental issue must bring us together. As much as I am concerned about solving the Tanjaro problem as an official in the Kurdistan Region, the federal government officials in Baghdad, Basra, and Anbar should be as concerned about solving the Tanjaro problem. On the other hand, both my friends and I in the Region must be concerned about the marshes of the south, because if we do not, we will suffer the undesired justice of the environment.
 
Within every state of darkness, there exists an illuminating source that directs us toward the correct path. The environmental crisis poses both a threat and an opportunity for all of us. It is an opportunity to comprehend our shared fate, to understand the anguish and risks faced by others, to embrace a deeper awareness of the mutual threats and dangers that lie ahead, and to recognise the imperative of reassessing our policies and governance.
  
As an initial step, I would like to formally propose an initiative to the political parties and stakeholders in both the federal and regional governments and invite them to a conference. 

At the conference, in addition to the Tanjaro problem, we will name a number of additional places in other regions of Iraq and create a plan to address them within the framework of a project to provide funding and implement the solution. 
 
The significance of this move and the project's success lies in the fact that it will motivate us to collaborate more in the coming years.