Protected land as percentage of total land area: None

CO₂ emissions trend: 3.3 tonnes per capita

ENVIRONMENTAL TREATIES

		Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Washington DC, 1973		no
		Convention on Biological Diversity Earth Summit in Rio, 1992		no
		1992 Amendment to protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer (amendment to Montreal Protocol) Copenhagen, 1992		no
		Kyoto Convention on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions Earth Summit in Kyoto, 1997		no
		Basel convention on the dumping of hazardous wastes (Basel) Basel, 1989		no
		Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) Ramsar, Iran 1971		no

War has led to massive environmental damage. As a specific legacy of the first Gulf War, hundreds of thousands of landmines remain in the south and there is concern about the long-term effects of the depleted uranium shells used by the US and its allies. The north has been affected by chemical weapons, used by Saddam Hussein's regime against the Kurds. In the southeast, an entire wetland ecosystem was largely destroyed by a program to drain the marshes for political reasons.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004