This November, representatives from around the world will convene in Antalya, Turkey, for the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).
Their discussions will revolve around familiar themes: rising temperatures, water scarcity, emissions, climate finance and adaptation. For many, this looks like another international conference that produces ambitious declarations and lengthy negotiations.
For Iraq and the Kurdistan Region which face some of the harshest climate change impacts, it is an opportunity to assess where we stand today, where we want to be tomorrow and how we intend to get there.
Climate change has long ceased to be a challenge reserved for scientists and environmental specialists. Across Iraq, and increasingly across the Kurdistan Region, its effects are becoming part of everyday life.
Longer and hotter summers, less predictable rainfall, recurring droughts, pressure on water resources, more frequent dust storms and growing risks to agriculture are indicators of a changing climate that will influence economic development, public health, energy security and social stability for decades to come.
We have already recognised this reality as a first step. Now we have to act upon it.
During the past few years, the Kurdistan Regional Government has started to establish the institutional foundations for a more coordinated climate policy.
The creation of the Climate Change Unit within the prime minister's office demonstrates that climate change is increasingly being viewed as a cross-government priority and not solely an environmental concern.
At the same time, the KRG board of environment has assumed an important role in translating this political commitment into practical planning and cooperation with international partners.
One of the most significant examples of that cooperation has been the partnership between the KRG board of environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Together, they have worked on developing the Kurdistan Region's Climate Change Adaptation Plan and Climate Change Mitigation Plan which represent one of the most important milestones in the Region's climate policy to date.
Climate strategies are often viewed as solely administrative exercises. In reality, however, they serve a much more important purpose. They identify where the Region is most vulnerable, define priorities, coordinate the work of different institutions and create a common framework upon which future investments and policies can be built.
They also strengthen the Region's credibility when engaging with international organisations and development partners. Without such strategic planning, climate action risks becoming a collection of isolated projects rather than a coherent public policy.
At this point, it is important to distinguish between climate adaptation and climate mitigation.
Adaptation concerns policies to manage the consequences of climate change that are already unfolding. It includes improving water management, strengthening agriculture, making infrastructure more resilient and reducing the risks associated with extreme weather.
Mitigation, on the other hand, addresses the causes of climate change such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions through cleaner energy, greater efficiency and more sustainable patterns of development.
Neither can succeed without the other. Preparing for climate impacts while continuing to increase emissions would only postpone the problem. Likewise, reducing emissions without strengthening resilience would leave communities exposed to changes that can no longer be avoided.
Developing these plans mark the beginning of a much more demanding phase and should not be regarded as the final achievement. The real measure of success will be their implementation.
Climate considerations need to become part of policy-making across government. Water, agriculture, energy, transport, urban planning, education and public health can no longer be addressed independently from climate resilience.
This requires coordination between institutions, reliable scientific data, adequate financing and, most importantly, political continuity.
The Kurdistan Region also has an opportunity to broaden the conversation. Climate policy should not remain confined to government offices or environmental institutions. Universities, schools, municipalities, businesses, farmers, researchers and civil society all can and should play an important role.
Government action alone will not do the job; a resilient society is built through shared responsibility.
The Kurdistan Region is expected to participate with its own delegation at COP31. That participation should not be measured by the number of meetings attended or photographs taken. Its value should be measured by the partnerships established, the expertise exchanged and the opportunities created for the Region.
Climate finance, technical cooperation, scientific partnerships and knowledge transfer are all areas where COP31 can produce tangible long-term benefits if approached with clear objectives and careful preparation.
Equally important is the opportunity to present the Kurdistan Region internationally as a serious and constructive partner in addressing climate change.
Over recent years, important institutional steps have been taken. The next stage is to demonstrate that these foundations can be translated into practical action that benefits citizens and contributes to sustainable development.
Climate change is already part of our future and no longer just an afterthought - it is already shaping the decisions governments make today.
The Kurdistan Region is already preparing for climate change. But how quickly and how effectively can it do so?
COP31 should be seen as more than another annual conference. It should become a milestone in a longer journey, one in which the Kurdistan Region moves from planning to implementation, from individual projects to integrated policy, and from reacting to climate impacts to building long-term resilience.
The foundations have been laid and many great initiatives have been implemented under the new KRG cabinet. The task at-hand is now to build upon them.
