
BASRA - In Iraq, one of the world’s driest and poorest countries, Western oil companies are exacerbating water shortages as they make record profits exporting alternatives to Russian oil in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
Pollution, water depletion, and greenwashing: Oil companies and the ecocide in Iraq
Interviews, financial data and exclusive Iraqi government records, show that British oil giant BP, as well as Italian multinationals ENI, are exploiting environmentally disastrous technologies to extract oil in Southern Iraq.
With the production scaling up, an increasing amount of water is being taken from the already depleted rivers in Basra (that accounts for two thirds of Iraq oil total exports) and used in injections to extract oil. An environmental and health disaster is looming over the country if oil companies fail to be held accountable.
The names of some of the journalists involved are not disclosed due to safety reasons.
- This investigation won 2nd award in the World Water Day Photo Contest 2024, Storytelling category.
- This project is shortlisted for the Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award in the Reportage category.
- This project received the European Press Prize in the category Best Investigative Reporting Award 2024
Photo credit: Daniela Sala
ONLINE
- Iraq senz’acqua: il costo del petrolio che arriva fino in Italia, IrpiMedia, 12/04/2023
- Iraq, poveri nonostante il petrolio, RSI, 19/03/2023
- Iraq’s oil boom blamed for worsening water crisis in drought-hit south, The Guardian, 03/06/2023
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The price of oil: Iraq’s drought exacerbated by oil industry’s thirst for water, OneWater.Blue 14/02/2024
VIDEO
- Iraq, 20 anni dopo l'invasione statunitense, RSI, 01/04/2023
- Essere ambientalisti in Iraq, RSI, 01/04/2023
- Oljens pris. Forurensning, utarming av vannressurser og grønnvasking: Oljeselskapenes virksomhet i Irak omtales som økomord. AftenPosten, issue November 2023
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