Afghanistan stands among the nations that continue to face devastating consequences of climate change, but despite this the country has had to endure blatant injustice on the part of the international community regarding this critical issue.
After the return to power of the Islamic Emirate, the international community not only imposed various sanctions, but approached the issue of climate change in Afghanistan from a political perspective.
Consequently, with the suspension of 32 environmental and climate change projects, restricting Afghanistan’s access to pledged financial resources, and the exclusion of Afghanistan from regional and international meetings and conferences on environmental and climate issues, there has been blatant injustice against the people of Afghanistan.
In an article published by the Islamic Emirate’s official al Emarah on Thursday, the Islamic Emirate stated that as the Earth’s temperature continues to rise, climate change poses a threat to all facets of human existence.
Pointing out that countries lacking in resources, including Afghanistan, face heightened vulnerability to the perils of climate change, as they lack the requisite means and infrastructure to effectively mitigate and manage its effects.
According to information from Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), temperatures in the southern regions of the country have increased by 2.4 degrees Celsius over the past century, Hindu Kush regions by 1 degree Celsius, central and northern highlands by 1.6 to 1.7 degrees Celsius, and eastern regions of Afghanistan by 0.6 degrees Celsius.
This has created numerous problems in urban and rural areas of Afghanistan, including increased poverty, migration, recurring droughts, floods, rising temperatures, destruction of farms and forests, food shortages, livestock deaths, and the emergence of various diseases.
“These can be identified as the undesirable consequences and impacts of climate change in Afghanistan,” the report read.
The continuation of this situation has severely affected not only the water, agriculture, livestock, forests, and grasslands sectors but also significantly impacted the social and economic lives of the people of Afghanistan, as well as health, energy, biodiversity, and ecosystems, al Emarah reported.
Despite the challenges and existing problems, officials at NEPA have made necessary efforts to manage the issue of climate change in Afghanistan utilizing available resources. Over the past three years, practical steps have been taken regarding drafting, revising, and amending laws, policies, regulations, and work plans, as well as project design.
Revision of environmental laws, national environmental policy, regulations on ozone-depleting substances, approval of the KIGALI Amendment to the Montreal Protocol 2020, and other related documents can be highlighted as prominent actions in the field of climate change mitigation.
Other steps have also been taken, including the prioritization of climate-compatible water and watershed projects, the restoration of degraded ecosystems, sustainable management plans for Nuristan National Park, sustainable forest and land management projects, and combating land degradation and biodiversity loss through enhancing sustainable food systems in Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate, under its environmental protection policy for Afghanistan, has placed climate change management at the forefront of its work priorities and has initiated efforts to mitigate the situation with the resources at hand.
With ensuring security nationwide, the Islamic Emirate has provided a conducive environment for implementing projects in various sectors across Afghanistan.
As climate change is an overarching issue, tackling the challenges and risks it poses requires joint efforts from all governments and collaboration among all stakeholders.
In light of this, the international community, nations, and pertinent organizations ought to prioritize environmental and climate change matters in Afghanistan. They should take practical and genuine steps by resuming suspended environmental and climate change projects, facilitating access to pledged financial resources, and creating opportunities for active Afghan participation in regional and international forums and conferences, al Emarah reported.
“Moreover, throughout this period, the people of Afghanistan have been directly impacted by the consequences of climate change, enduring significant financial and human losses.
“Therefore, the global community and pertinent organizations must extricate the environmental issue and climate change in Afghanistan from political spheres, conceiving it instead as a human dilemma,” the report read.
