On Wednesday, President Donald Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara that the initial agreement to end the war between the United States and Iran—which had largely halted the hostilities—was “over.” Washington and Tehran have traded military strikes over the past two days.

Fears of a reignited conflict are rising, even as the true cost of war is only beginning to be tallied. Alongside the thousands of deaths, the destruction of infrastructure, and the global economic costs, the war is exacerbating existing climate vulnerabilities and exposing the people of the region to an increasingly dangerous and nearly uninhabitable reality.

A combination of conflict and climate change has most acutely affected Iran and the broader Middle East and North Africa. Water is rationed, temperatures are breaking records, and droughts have been increasingly severe. Temperatures in the region are expected to rise by twice the global average during the 21st century. Syria, Libya, and Yemen have already endured civil wars and protracted humanitarian crises. Climate change and conflict share a complex, multidimensional relationship, each capable of exacerbating the other.

Iran war and climate crisis

The war with Iran has reinforced this threat-multiplying dynamic, displacing millions throughout Iran and Lebanon. On Mar. 7, Iran accused the U.S. of attacking a desalination plant on Qeshm Island in the southern province of Hormozgan, near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the attack had disrupted the water supply for 30 villages.

The very next day, Bahrain accused Iran of firing a drone that damaged a desalination plant—a facility absolutely critical to the tiny Gulf state for converting seawater into drinking water. Around the same time, the United Arab Emirates reported an attack on the Fujairah F1 power and water plant. Iran,........

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