‘There’s no rain’: Climate change threatens Iraq’s Bedouins

In the deserts of Muthanna province, nomadic herders paint a grim picture of an increasingly uninhabitable environment.

Al Bussaya, Muthanna Province, Iraq – The wind whipped relentlessly across the open deserts of Muthanna province as Ali Thajeel moved his camel herd along the rugged plains in search of greenery. Decades ago, he remembered, April was a time when the sandy soil turned into grazing land to allow his livestock to gain weight ahead of the scorching summer heat. But in recent years, his camels had to make do with scattered patches of scruffy grass. “There’s no rain, and the land is dry. The grass has turned into desert. We have to sell some animals to buy food for the rest. This is what life has become,” said Thajeel, his kaffiyeh pulled tightly across his face to shield it from the dry, dusty air.