In Iraq, Orange Skies and Inescapable Dust

The UN considers Iraq the fifth-most vulnerable country to climate breakdown due to its heat, droughts, and sandstorms, and the problems caused by that last element were in sharp relief this week. The New York Times and AFP report a serious sandstorm hit central and southern parts of the country, coloring the sky orange and landing nearly 3,750 people in the hospital with respiratory problems. Sharply curtailed visibility meant flights were canceled, and highways near the city of Basra were largely emptied of cars. The Times says it's the worst such storm of 2025 to date, but similar severe sandstorms hit in December and at various points in 2022.

Indeed, sandstorms aren't atypical in Iraq in the winter and early spring, but climate experts say the frequency and severity of them are ticking up as droughts increase in length and frequency. The Times explains that what hit this week—the BBC reports it began to ease Tuesday morning—was far more than just an inconvenience:

• "The sand and dust were so pervasive that they penetrated almost every house and vehicle, coming through the smallest cracks to coat every surface, making it difficult to work on computers and forcing almost all but emergency workers to stay indoors."

(More sandstorm stories.)