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,

A sandstorm hit part of Iraq's Basra on Monday (April 14) night, causing poor visibility and sending more than 1,000 people to hospital, according to the Basra Health Directorate.