Iraqi initiative to change buildings color to combat hot weather

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – With Iraq’s exposure to exceptional heat waves, accompanied by droughts and frequent power outages, environmental authorities called for buildings to be painted in colors that reflect sunlight and resist high temperatures.

According to the Iraq Green Observatory, a platform concerned with environmental affairs based in Baghdad, one of the reasons for the exacerbation of the heat crisis is the colors of streets and buildings, such as black, red and yellow.

The Iraq Green Observatory mentioned that streets and facades are colored white or light blue in some countries to reduce the temperature.

The observatory’s remarks follow a statement issued by the Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology indicating that seven Iraqi governorates in the southern part of the country are witnessing scorching weather on Wednesday as the temperature exceeded 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

The Iraqi authority illustrated that the highest temperature in the governorates of Basra, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna reached 52 degrees Celsius (125.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, exceeding half the boiling point, according to Rudaw News.

Iraq is one of the five countries most vulnerable to desertification and climate change in the world, especially with long heat waves, low rainfall, a lack of fertile lands, soil salinity, transboundary water retreat, and the spread of dust storms, according to reports issued by the United Nations.