An environmental movement for times of war, too
While current global action focuses on the impact of humans and industry on the environment during peacetime, what about during conflict? Oil wells set ablaze in Iraq. Forests pillaged in Colombia. Wildlife populations decimated across the Sahara-Sahel. Around the world, armed conflicts continue to cause significant damage to the environment. In turn, this damage often [...]
Hitting nature where it hurts: Iran feels the pernicious effects of U.S. sanctions on biodiversity conservation
Iran feels the pernicious effects of US sanctions on biodiversity conservation Situated at the confluence of the Mediterranean, arid west Asian and temperate semi-humid Caspian climatic zones, Iran is home to a rich and complex array of biodiversity, including the world’s few remaining Asiatic cheetahs. Efforts to protect its biodiversity, however, have been challenged by [...]
Environmental infrastructure a potent weapon in warfare
The targeting of environmental infrastructure in war has become an end in itself, with long-term implications for human welfare and ecosystems. Warring parties in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have increasingly targeted water and energy infrastructure as tactical weapons, and as forms of collateral damage, with long-term implications for human welfare, ecosystems, and [...]
Iraqi Kurdistan’s archaeological hotspots revived, but vulnerable
Political uncertainty, a protracted economic crisis and rapid development pose challenges to heritage conservation in the archaeologically rich Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In late October, University of Tübingen archaeologists working in the Kurdish region of Iraq discovered a cuneiform archive of 93 clay tablets belonging to the Middle Assyrian Empire and dating from 1250 BCE. [...]
Islamic State plunges research in Iraq into darkness
As the Islamic State takes over large areas of northern Iraq, science research and education grinds to a near halt. Five days before Iraq’s second largest city fell to the Islamic State (IS), the militant group formerly known as ISIS, Mohammad Al-Attraqchi, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Mosul, went to work for [...]
Poverty and Lax Laws Threaten Iraqi Wildife
A combination of poverty and loosely applied laws is threatening the survival of rare wildlife in Iraq and Kurdistan, according to animal protection organizations. For years, hunters and smugglers have taken advantage of chaos, unrest, and lack of regulation to illegally hunt and trade rare species. Birds and foxes from the remote mountains of Kurdistan [...]
The UAE sees red
The UAE is aiming for Mars, with a programme to catalyse high-tech innovation, inspire youth, and diversify the nation’s economy. The UAE wants to become a global space leader. Within three years, the small and wealthy gulf state intends to get an unmanned probe to Mars in 2021 and establish the first human settlement on [...]
Businessman Pioneers Emu Farming in Kurdistan
The tall flightless birds who call the warm, red earth of Australia home were brought here by Hassan Ali Rahman three years ago, when he set out to establish the region's first emu farm. GIRDASUR, Kurdistan Region – Hidden among the hills at the end of a dusty dirt road, from afar the farm appears [...]
Once proud, Iraq’s schools reel from decades of setbacks
Schools in Iraq continue to struggle, limiting learning opportunities for the country’s youth. Educational indicators show a marked decline as wars, sanctions and sectarian strife have stripped Iraq’s education system of resources. Eleven-year-old Maryam Bednam from Qaraqosh, Iraq, should have started secondary school this month. Her dream is to become a doctor so she can [...]