Climate change is one of the trending terms in the world nowadays due to its profound impact on human health and activity. Extreme drought events and desertification are some of the results of climate change. This study utilized the power of AI tools by using the long short-term memory (LSTM) model to predict the drought index for Anbar Province, Iraq. The data from the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) for 118 years have been used for the current study. The proposed model employed seven different optimizers to enhance the prediction performance. Based on different performance indicators, the results show that the RMSprop and Adamax optimizers achieved the highest accuracy (90.93% and 90.61%, respectively). Additionally, the models forecasted the next 40 years of the SPEI for the study area, where all the models showed an upward trend in the SPEI. In contrast, the best models expected no increase in the severity of drought. This research highlights the vital role of machine learning models and remote sensing in drought forecasting and the significance of these applications by providing accurate climate data for better water resources management, especially in arid regions like that of Anbar province.

This study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using OpenLCA software in accordance with ISO 14040/14044 standards. A two-story school building was modeled with reinforced concrete and structural steel systems, both designed using ETABS. The study looks at a two-story school building over several phases, such as getting materials, making them, building them, using them, and then getting rid of them. Key performance indicators such as carbon emissions, energy consumption, recyclability, and construction waste are analyzed. Results reveal that concrete structures emit 27% less CO₂ and consume 55% less energy than steel systems, though steel offers superior recyclability (98%). The results show that steel structures may be recycled and used again and again, whereas reinforced concrete uses substantially less energy and carbon. The study proposes the use of hybrid systems that combine concrete slabs and foundations with steel superstructures to actualize these results. It also proposes employing materials that are good for the environment, such fly ash and recycled aggregates, and establishing national databases to assist people choose products. These suggestions are a practical way to get Iraq to embrace green building laws and practices.