By Kai Pflug
Unfortunately, Afghanistan is a very good example of a country hit hard by climate change even though it is among the least responsible ones for carbon dioxide emissions.
At a recent conference in Kabul on the effects of climate change on Afghanistan, an official of the National Environmental Protection Agency pointed out that average precipitation in Afghanistan has dropped by 37 percent in 2023 compared to last year. He also claimed that Afghanistan is the sixth country most affected due to climate change and that in 2022, more than 1,700 people died in Afghanistan due to the effects of climate change including floods.
A representative of the European Union confirmed that climate change “poses a profound challenge to the people of Afghanistan, especially women and children.”
However, international assistance to counter the effects of climate change has been reduced after the Taliban came to power. This does not make any sense. Climate change is a global problem, and if any region is responsible for it, it is the developed world rather than a poor country such as Afghanistan.
Apparently, there is a popular saying in Afghanistan that reflects the importance of water: “Let Kabul be without gold, but not without snow.” By freezing the Afghan central bank’s holdings (the “gold”), the West has already worsened the humanitarian situation in the country. Now, the West should at least help Afghanistan keep its snow – it is in the interest of the West as well.
(Main source: Tolonews)
Originally posted 2024-03-16 17:17:14.