A climate warning from the cradle of civilisation

All dried up: The village of al-Najim, Iraq, where extreme drought has led to growing desertification. Persistent drought has battered Iraq over the past three years. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

EVERY schoolchild learns the name: Mesopotamia – the Fertile Crescent, the cradle of civilisation.

Today, much of that land is turning to dust.