Iraq's Environmental Damage

Amidst the wreckage of the credit crunch, we continue to ignore Iraq. Iraq will be suffering an environmental catastrophe for decades:

With help from the UN, the Japanese government and local efforts, Iraq has reflooded and restored 55 percent of the marshland since 2003. Such successes are important, but a host of other environmental issues have yet to be tackled. Iraq is planted with 25 million land mines. Chemical weapons and depleted uranium munitions have created 105 contaminated areas, the minister said. Sewers need attention and more than 60 percent of Iraq's fresh water is polluted.