Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday inaugurated the first greenbelt project in Erbil with the goal to protect the Kurdistan Region’s environment and prevent desertification.
“I planted the first tree of Erbil’s Green Belt today – a 7-million tree project that will raise the capital’s green coverage to 25%. We should not wait for miracles; we must create miracles ourselves,” Prime Minister Barzani posted on X.
I planted the first tree of Erbil’s Green Belt today — a 7 million tree project that will raise the capital’s green coverage to 25%.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) October 30, 2025
We should not wait for miracles; we must create miracles ourselves. pic.twitter.com/j9JEQ1kJxs
In a speech delivered during the ceremony, Prime Minister Barzani emphasized the project’s importance for purifying Erbil’s environment and warned that, due to climate change and desertification, people might be forced to migrate.
“Building dams, reservoirs, and greenbelts is part of our strategy to make the best use of natural resources within our homeland. This greenbelt will help purify Erbil’s air and water, just as trees purify the air so that people can breathe more easily,” he said.
He noted that such migration would not stop at the borders of the Kurdistan Region but could also lead people to try to migrate to Europe. Therefore, he called on European countries to support the Kurdistan Region in implementing environmental projects that would help prevent desertification and reduce the impact of climate change.
“Tackling climate change here will benefit not only our people, but also the international community, helping reduce social, political, and security pressures linked to migration,” he underlined.
He added that the project is part of the KRG’s broader program to diversify its sources of revenue, explaining that the private sector would also benefit from the olive trees cultivated as part of the project.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday planted the first tree of Erbil’s Green Belt. The initiative aims to encircle the Kurdish capital with 7 million trees, increasing the city’s green coverage to 25%. pic.twitter.com/7v7q0DU4kD
— Kurdistan Chronicle (@KrdChronicle) October 30, 2025
