Iraq ranks second in the world in terms of air pollution, and Baghdad, Basra and Mosul are the most affected, according to a survey conducted by a Swiss company.

Iraq ranked second in the world in terms of air pollution, according to a survey conducted by the Swiss company AQR last March.

Baghdad ranks 13th globally in terms of air pollution.

According to the survey, the population of Iraq is 43.5 million people, and air quality decreased to 80.1 micrograms of BM2.5 per square meter, while in 2021 it was 49.7 micrograms per square meter.

Earlier, the Iraqi Ministry of Environment warned of the danger of increasing environmental pollution, but proposed a solution to the problem.

The Ministry of Environment said that air, water and soil pollution is caused by oil extraction in several governorates, with a large number of vehicles and factories near cities not adhering to environmental protection measures.

Deputy Minister of the Environment, Jassim Falahi, told Al Arabiya Al Jadeeda, “Air pollution and the environment in general pose a real danger to several governorates, including Baghdad and Basra.”

He added that the government has paid great attention to both the climate change and pollution crisis, as 90 billion dinars have been allocated to eliminate the effects of climate change, treat pollution, and use natural gas to reduce carbon emissions and convert clean energy.