The Daily A Climate Warning From the Fertile Crescent
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May 6, 2025 
Alissa J. Rubin, a Senior Middle East correspondent for The New York Times, explores Iraq’s alarming water crisis and its implications on global climate challenges. She vividly describes the desolation resulting from extreme heat, leading to displacement and agricultural struggles. The conversation highlights personal stories from local farmers and the desperate migration to urban areas. Rubin warns of heightened tensions over water rights and the need for innovative solutions as climate change reshapes the landscape in the Fertile Crescent.
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Apocalyptic Scene Near Baghdad
- Alissa Rubin describes driving east from Baghdad under extreme heat and seeing dead palm trees and many dead cattle along the road.
- She felt it was an apocalyptic scene, illustrating the severe environmental degradation happening in Iraq.
Rapid Heat Threatens Fertile Crescent
- Climate change heats the Middle East nearly twice as fast as other regions, accelerating water evaporation.
- The Fertile Crescent, once rich with water and farming, faces drastic soil drying and agricultural collapse.
Farmer's Struggle in Dialla Province
- Alissa met Hashim Kanani in Iraq's Dialla province, once known as the fruit basket, where farming thrived.
- Due to drought and polluted water, Hashim's farm struggled, cattle were sold, and crops withered, threatening their way of life.