Free plants for Baghdad: Iraqi gardener fights desertification

Retired journalist and educator Abdul Karim Abbas waters the plants in the sweltering heat as he walks through his small tree nursery in central Baghdad. He carefully checks each plant to make sure it is in good condition. But this is no ordinary tree nursery; it is a project.

Abbas opened the first free tree nursery in Baghdad and chose the garden of the Khilani Mosque in Baghdad as the permanent location for his project. His goal is to restore and expand green spaces in Iraq. "We are fighting for the climate and a greener environment," Abbas says proudly.

Slogans such as "Together for a greener Iraq," "Together for climate justice," and "With our awareness, we combat desertification" hang in the tree nursery. But there is also a Chinese proverb: "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now."

Since opening his tree nursery about four years ago, Abbas has distributed thousands of seedlings. On special occasions and holidays, he reminds people of the importance of planting trees to combat global warming, a problem that greatly affects Iraq. Currently, people are suffering from a heat wave with temperatures around 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

Coming from a farming family, Abbas knows the consequences of losing urban trees and green spaces. His free tree nursery project, financed out of his own pocket, aims to help restore these lost green spaces. He also passes on his knowledge to children, who will feel the effects of climate change even more acutely.

When he runs out of plant pots, he sometimes repurposes doll heads to help the seedlings thrive in the hot desert region. High temperatures, frequent droughts, and increased dust storms have become the norm in Iraq. Abbas is convinced that environmental safety is a “shared responsibility” of the government and citizens.

Last March, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani announced an initiative at the Iraq Climate Conference to plant five million trees and date palms nationwide. These palms are particularly well suited to this region. Iraq's national tree is culturally and economically important — it provides food, shade, and wood, and is highly resistant to heat and drought.