In Iraq, Crises Top Climate Change
- iSSUes Vol. 1
- Dec 18, 2019
- 3 min read
Zahraa Aljarrah, a nineteen-year-old college student from Baghdad, Iraq, is in the midst of her third year of college studying to be an English teacher. She is currently living in Kurdistan, a northern region of the country. In the Iraqi education system, upon entering primary school, students are given the opportunity to choose between math and science or history and literature. This choice determines their path of study for the remainder of their education. Due to her choice, Zahraa acknowledges her limited understanding of the sciences; however, the knowledge she offers tells a story in itself.
Q: What do you know about global warming or climate change?
A: Well, I do not know much about it at all, but what I can tell you is global warming is disturbing the climatic balance in the universe.
Q: How would you personally define the term global warming?
A: A phenomenon that causes high temperatures in the climate of the globe with increasing of the [greenhouse] gases that are harmful to human health.
Q: What would you say causes global warming?
A: It happens as a result of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Q: What would you say causes the greenhouse gases?
A: They come from the burning of fuels and any source of smoke such as car exhaust.
Q: Is this a topic that you ever talked about in school? Was it ever a part of your assignments or curriculum? Were there any classes that focused specifically on this topic?
A: In high school I chose the literary section, so I was not studying science or anything related to it. In previous grades we have studied this subject, although I do not remember the details well.
Q: So, learning about the environment was never mandatory?
A: Exactly.
Q: Do you recycle in your country? At home? At school?
A: Well in our country, I guess there is some factory for recycling, but at home and at school we don’t recycle.
Q: Is the environment, global warming, and or global climate change something you hear about on the news, on TV, in print media, in social media, or from celebrities?
A: Actually, everything you just mentioned like TV, newspaper, and social media.
Q: So, people do talk about the environment all the time it’s just not a subject you personally know a lot about because you aren’t as interested in science?
A: Yes, exactly.
Q: In the United States when it comes time to elect a new president, the environment is discussed throughout press conferences and debates. The candidate takes this time to talk about what they plan to do to help the environment in the hopes that their plan will appeal to voters. Is global climate change and the environment a big topic in politics in your country?
A: No, in politics it’s not a very big topic.
Q: Is your current government doing anything about climate change?
A: Honestly, they don’t even care about the people dying everyday because of terrorists. How do you expect them to care about climate change?
Q: So, what you’re saying is your country has bigger, more immediate problems to deal with right now?
A: Yes, exactly. We are facing more immediate problems such as years of warfare, sectarianism, and terrorism. The environment has unfortunately been forced to take the back seat in Iraq until more urgent, short term problems are resolved.
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