Among the UN’s designated days, one stands out for its growing urgency in the face of climate change: this week’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. Established in 1994 by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, this day, which is marked on June 17 every year, is a global reminder of the escalating crisis of land degradation and water scarcity. While the effects of desertification are seen worldwide, few regions are as vulnerable – or as consequential – as the Middle East.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought highlights the need to preserve land and water resources, especially in regions already teetering on the edge of collapse. Already this year, parts of the Middle East have experienced record-breaking drought conditions, declining rainfall and increasingly frequent sand and dust storms. These climate extremes, combined with decades of unsustainable land and water use, are accelerating desertification across a region already strained by conflict, population pressures and resource scarcity. In Iraq, Jordan and Iran, the land is not only drying up – it is disappearing. In Iraq, the crisis is acute. Once considered the heart of the ancient Fertile Crescent, it is now facing catastrophic levels of land degradation. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provide the majority of the country’s surface water, have seen dramatic reductions in flow, exacerbated by damming upstream and climate-induced drought. The output of these rivers is down by 30 to 40 percent compared to 40 years ago.

Nearly half of Iraq’s agricultural land is at risk of becoming desert. The southern marshlands, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to buffalo herders for centuries, have dried........

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