The Impacts of Climate Change on Vulnerable Yazidi and Christian Populations
The Impacts of Climate Change on Vulnerable Yazidi and Christian Populations
Climate change is a global phenomenon that has far-reaching impacts on the environment and human societies¹². It is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, which leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions¹. These emissions trap the sun’s heat, leading to global warming and climate change¹. The world is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history¹.
Climate Change Impacts
Climate change is changing weather patterns and disrupting the usual balance of nature¹. This poses many risks to human beings and all other forms of life on Earth¹. For example, many places have experienced changes in rainfall, resulting in more floods, droughts, or intense rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves². The planet’s oceans and glaciers have also experienced changes — oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, ice caps are melting, and sea level is rising².
Climate change is also changing water availability, making it scarcer in more regions¹. Global warming exacerbates water shortages in already water-stressed regions and is leading to an increased scarcity of water¹.
Vulnerable Populations: Yazidis and Christians
Among the populations most vulnerable to these changes are the Yazidis and Christians. The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking religious group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran⁴. The majority of Yazidis remaining in the Middle East today live in Iraq, primarily in the governorates of Nineveh and Duhok⁴.
The Yazidis have faced persecution for centuries, most recently during the 2014 Yazidi genocide carried out by the Islamic State⁴. This event saw over 5,000 Yazidis killed and thousands of Yazidi women and girls forced into sexual slavery⁴. More than 500,000 Yazidi refugees were forced to flee⁴.
Christians in the region have also been targeted for their faith⁵. The country’s largest Christian city was all but abandoned as ISIS advanced through minority communities in the north-west⁵.
Conclusion
The impacts of climate change are far-reaching and affect all aspects of life on Earth. Vulnerable populations, such as the Yazidis and Christians, are particularly at risk. It is crucial that we take action to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect these vulnerable communities. The world needs to come together to address this global crisis and ensure a sustainable future for all.
Sources and References as of 11/11/2023
(1) Causes and Effects of Climate Change | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change
(2) Impacts of Climate Change | US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/climatechange-science/impacts-climate-change
(3) Yazidis — Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazidis
(4) Who are the Yazidis and why is Isis hunting them?
(5) Effects of Climate Change — Impacts and Examples — NRDC. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-are-effects-climate-change
(6) Iraqi Yazidis: Hazy population numbers and a history of persecution …. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/08/12/iraqi-yazidis-hazy-population-numbers-and-a-history-of-persecution/
(7) Who, What, Why: Who are the Yazidis? — BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28686607
(8) Yazidism — World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Yazidism/
The abovestated article is specially dedicated to Vulnerable Yazidi and Christian communities.
Copyright © Hakimi Abdul Jabar (A.J. Hakimi) LLB (Hons) [Wolverhampton], CLP (Hons) [LPQB], CMSA [CFI Vancouver], Certificate in Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster [HarvardX-edx], Certificate in Climate Change International Legal Regime [UNEP & UNITAR] etc. and THE SOFTWARE SUITE™, Broadway, New York, USA, London, England & Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. November 11, 2023. All Rights Reserved.
Hakimi Abdul Jabar is the Founder-Owner, Managing Consultant, International Trade Negotiator, Lead Commodities Trader, Global Money Manager, International Business, Commercial and Trading Consultant, Chief Software Developer & Chief Technology Officer, International Intermediary Consultant, Global inHouse Legal Advisor etc. of THE SOFTWARE SUITE™. He is a totally true purely Citizens democrat SECULARIST Humanitarian and human rights observer ONLY observing the vulnerable Yazidi and Christian communities supporting Protection International, HHI etc.
