Iraq hit by historic dust storm

Strong dust storms have swept through the Iraqi capital Baghdad and southern provinces, paralyzing traffic, closing schools, and sending more than 800 people to the hospital with respiratory ailments. According to the United Nations, Iraq may experience 300 dust storms per year, and prolonged drought and over-cultivation make it one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. At the same time, Iraq has announced an increase in production of 411,000 barrels of crude oil per day in June, a move that environmentalists have warned will exacerbate ecological pressures and create a vicious cycle of “increased production – pollution – rising health costs.