Scorching heat and a crippling drought are threatening Iraqi farmers with unprecedented hardship, as temperatures regularly soar above 50 degrees Celsius. Recent official data has shown at least five Iraqi cities ranking among the world's hottest cities every day. Iraq's Ministry of Agriculture has ordered a major reduction in cultivated areas during this summer's planting season -- a clear indicator that extreme weather now threatens both environmental stability and food security. Iraq's severe drought stems from two immediate causes: diminished rainfall and reduced water flow from countries upstream on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, according to experts. This year marks the driest year in Iraq in over nine decades, said the country's Ministry of Water Resources. The abnormal temperatures are just one facet of climate change's profound impacts on Iraq where a multidimensional crisis is developing, encompassing environmental, agricultural, and economic factors, compounded by drought and declining water levels. Shotlist: Iraq - Recent: 1. Aerial shot of drought-stricken land; 2. Various of drought-stricken land; 3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Jawad, environmental activist: "Even ordinary citizens know remedies, including reducing vehicle and generator emissions, securing more water releases from neighboring countries such as Iraq, and crucially expanding green infrastructure."; 4. Various of excavator, crane at work; 5. River. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]