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(Arabic) Peace be upon you.
A few months ago,
I was in a village in the Kurdistan region in the Garmian area
for a project concerning irrigation.
When we finished the survey,
the sheikh of that village invited me to his place.
We were drinking chai,
and we started talking about the future of this area.
And he was telling me that for the last 20, 30 years
his local activities, mainly agriculture and sheep pasture,
have been suffering because of water scarcity.
He was asking for some explanation, and I told him --
"Kaka, one of the main problems is related with climate change,
basically, people pollute the air
and, as a consequence, the temperature rises,
and the water available for your people is less."
This remarkable person, the sheikh,
he knew everything about his people,
he knew everything that was going on around there.
And he looked at me quite surprised,
wondering if the small generators that they were using,
or the old cars that they were running
could be responsible [for] such problems.
His true and sincere concern about his people, about his land
but, at the same time, his total and complete unawareness
of everything that was going on outside this area,
made me realize, for one side,
how far society is
from a total understanding of what is the real problem,
but, at the same time, how much we can do
in order to preserve our planet.
When scientists refer to climate change,
they refer to changes in the global climate pattern
due to human activities
that increase the concentration of green house gases
within the atmosphere.
Green house gases are essential for our survival.
Basically, green house gases, carbon dioxide, methane --
they allow the sunlight to freely enter the atmosphere,
but once the sunlight [strikes] the surface,
and part of it is reflected back to space as heat,
green house gases trap this heat within the atmosphere,
so that's why they're important --
because they keep the atmosphere warm.
But it's a matter of scale.
A century of industrialization, progress, development,
have driven up the quantities of green house gases high above limits
and, as a consequence, the temperature is rising.
So, there's a connection between the global temperature
and the concentration of green house gases,
and this connection is creating problems to our planet.
But, what about Iraq?
How is Iraq affected by those changes?
Although the Middle East and North African countries
are considered to be among the lowest contributors
when it comes to climate change
– compared to China, India, the United States –
those countries -- they will suffer
the worst consequences of climate change,
because they'll be struggling for water scarcity.
Iraq is no exception.
For the last 20, 30 years,
Iraq has experienced some changes
due to climate change – drought episodes.
I bet each one of you has seen some of those arid landscapes
throughout the whole Iraq.
Drought episodes are increased both in frequency and impact,
threatening the living conditions of the citizens,
and threatening local activities, like agriculture.
Agriculture is dying in the place where it was born.
I bet there are many people here from Baghdad,
and I'm sure that, apart from yesterday,
you've noticed that [it's] not raining much in Iraq.
According to the data,
from a rainfall station placed east Baghdad,
for the last 40 years,
precipitation [has] been progressively less in Baghdad.
But this trend is not just for Baghdad, [it's] for the whole Iraq.
Anybody here [knows] what the "Sharyee" is?
The "Sharyee" is a southern wind
that usually blows late April and late September.
This wind often comes with violent dust storms.
Though climate change is not directly connected
to the genesis of dust storms,
the dryer the air, the higher the likelihood
of having more violent and frequent episodes.
How many of you here fly inside Iraq?
I do travel often inside Iraq with a national airways company,
or as we call it in my office "Insha'Allah (God willing) airways."
But why Insha'Allah?
Because you have no clue when you will take off or land.
And why is that?
Most of the time, it's because of a dust storm episode happening
in Baghdad, Basrah, or the Kurdistan Region airport.
Many, many times, my flights got delayed, or even cancelled, because of it.
So you see, climate change is affecting my life, your life -- everybody's lives.
And let's face it,
climate change is playing a game against the world.
But the world, in a way, is fighting back.
And, what about Iraq?
Is Iraq an active part of this game, or not?
Of course.
Iraq is now reporting the green house gases emission inventory,
and is also setting strategies,
in order to reduce its contribution on global warming.
As expected, in every oil-producing country,
oil activities are the main source of emissions here.
Oil activities in Iraq represent the main economic activity,
and it will be so, for the years to come.
But with the practice of flaring gas,
huge quantities of carbon dioxide, methane,
are released into the atmosphere,
together with other pollutants dangerous for people's health.
Just for you to have an idea
of the size of the emission that we're talking about,
according to the 2009 Iraqi oil production,
8 million tons of CO2 have been released into the atmosphere
– almost the total emission of Lebanon that year.
While oil is a blessing for a country,
it could be a curse if it is not properly regulated.
But, what about our daily action?
How can each one of us
be part of this fight against climate change?
Because I can tell you something --
your action, every single action matters, when it comes to climate change.
Definitely, advocate for a law
that forces oil companies or industries to stop polluting
will have the biggest impact.
But also, raising your voice to the local government
in order for them to provide you
with a better public transportation system,
or to provide you with a waste recycling program,
can make the difference.
Choosing public transportation,
instead of using your single car,
or not burning your trash in open illegal landfills,
can have a huge impact on your own environment.
Daily, you can turn off your light when you leave a room,
or you can use wisely the heater and air conditioning
-- [by] not setting up the temperature for your room
[to] 10 degrees in the summer, or 35 degrees in the winter.
Food and potable water require energy to be produced.
Do not waste them.
Take care today of the resources you've been provided with.
Because in doing so, you will not just help Iraq,
reducing its contribution to climate change,
but also, you will improve your own living conditions,
your own environment.
Iraq can make the difference now.
There are people in Iraq extremely committed
to provide our future generations
with a better country, a better region,
a better planet where to live.
I work with those people; I see those people every single day,
and actually, this was one of the reasons
why I came to live and work in Iraq in the first place.
To cooperate, all together,
in order to create a framework for an environmentally concerned country.
And I truly believe,
that despite the thousands of problems that Iraq is facing right now,
Iraq is pointed toward a direction of development and progress.
So let's start with the right foot when it comes to environment.
Let's set Iraq as an example,
as a benchmark for the neighboring countries and the whole Middle East.
The beginning begins, right? -- So, this is it.
Today, you can take action. Not tomorrow; tomorrow it might be too late. Today.
And if you look at the face of your children, ask yourself --
If you want to give them a place where they can live,
or a place where they will struggle to survive.
I do consider everybody in this room
as decision makers when it comes to climate change.
Whether your turn off your light when you leave a room,
or your set up a policy
that forces oil companies, or industries to stop polluting,
your action matters.
Back to the Garmian area, drinking chai with that sheikh,
I'm going to tell you what I told him back then.
He can make the difference for his people and his region,
[by] setting examples of green practices
or raising his voice to the local government,
in order for them to help him out
preserving his land and his people.
All of you can do the same.
With different actions and different consequences,
but with one common goal --
Reduce your impact on this planet.
(Arabic) Thank you very much for your attention.
(Applause)