Human-induced climate change compounded by socio-economic water stressors increased severity of drought in Syria, Iraq and Iran

A photo of a man in Iraq, wearing traditional clothing, standing next to a dog and in front of a dried up river.

From boreal winter 2020 onwards, a large region in West Asia, encompassing the Fertile Crescent around the rivers Euphrates and Tigris as well as Iran has suffered from exceptionally low rains and elevated temperatures. The resulting 3-year drought has led to severe impacts on agriculture and access to potable water.