Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged. But before you go, be sure to pack sunscreen and a plenty of water. It turns out that the cradle of civilization is barely habitable. WaPo takes you back where civilization emerged between the Tigris and Euphrates, and where climate change is poisoning the land and emptying the villages. “In the historic marshes, meanwhile, men are clinging to what remains of life as they knew it as their buffaloes die and their wives and children scatter across nearby cities, no longer able to stand the summer heat. Temperatures in Iraq topped a record 125 degrees this summer with aid groups warning that drought was limiting access to food, water and electricity for 12 million people here and in neighboring Syria. With Iraq warming faster than much of the globe, this is a glimpse of the world’s future.” From Cradle to Grave (Gift Article for NextDraft readers).

+ WaPo: White House, intelligence agencies, Pentagon issue reports warning that climate change threatens global security. (Do a quick search. They’ve been warning of this for years, even decades.)

+ Related: Document leak reveals nations lobbying to change key climate report.