Insights

Insight 318: Iraq, Climate Change, Migration and Security Implications

Anuradha Jangra
- April 2, 2025

Series Introduction

Climate-induced Security Challenges

Climate change – e.g., rising temperatures, rising sea levels, more frequent and intense extreme weather events – not only aggravates existing vulnerabilities such as food and water insecurity but can also lead to heightened competition over diminishing natural resources, widespread displacement, increased societal tensions and conflict.

While science has been unequivocal about the physical impacts of climate change, scientific evidence to support its link to security risks is tenuous. Understanding climate-induced security challenges is crucial, particularly for countries most exposed to climate change impacts. By providing evidence-based perspectives to improve our understanding of climate-induced security risks, this Insight series aims to generate insights that support crafting strategies to mitigate such risks.

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Iraq faces profound challenges due to climate change, exacerbated by the country’s fragile political structure and mounting economic challenges. Climate change has significantly disrupted the traditional livelihoods of rural communities and prompted internal displacement and migration towards urban areas. This article explores how climate change reshapes migration patterns and aggravates Iraq’s sociopolitical tensions. Specifically, it examines the impact of water scarcity and desertification on human mobility. Through recently available migration data, the article shows how migration patterns interact with Iraq’s existing political and economic upheaval and contribute to security challenges.

Image Caption: Smoke rises in the horizon following US airstrikes to claw back control over Iraq’s Mosul Dam from ISIS, 18 August 2014. Photo: AFP /Ahmad al-Rubaye

About the Authors

*Anuradha Jangra is a doctoral candidate at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (India). She is also an assistant editor at Contemporary Review of the Middle East (Sage).