Drivers of Climate Induced Displacement in Iraq – Climate Vulnerability Assessment Key Findings – August-October 2022

Climate change and environmental degradation have contributed to the displacement of at least 55,290 individuals in IOM assessed locations in central and southern Iraq between January 2016 and October 2022. This represents an estimated 13 per cent of the original population that used to reside in these locations. In other words, one in ten people from these locations have been displaced in the past six years. Given the uptick in environmental migration observed in 2022, this trend is expected to worsen, particularly in the absence of adequate mitigation and adaptation strategies.

To better understand the root causes of these movements, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) developed a tool to assess a location’s vulnerability to climate-induced displacement. The tool measured four dimensions: 1) environmental events and water access, 2) services and infrastructure, 3) livelihoods and mitigation measures and 4) tension and conflict. This summary reports presents key findings across these dimensions.