Afghanistan’s climate tragedy ignored at COP28

As Afghanistan battles the impacts of climate change, from parched droughts to disruptive cycles, the nation's once-thriving domestic food production is now grinding to a slow halt. From the staple crops of the northern and southern plains to the fruit orchards in the central highlands, the specter of hunger looms large.

Furthermore, temperatures in the country have surged by 1.8 degrees Celsius in recent decades, double the global rate. However, support from the international community for mitigation and funding has waned since the withdrawal of foreign troops and the Taliban's return to power in August 2021.

Last week, despite being one of the world's most severe victims of climate change, Afghanistan was excluded from the UN’s key Climate Conference held in the UAE, where global leaders gathered to advance discussions on the paramount issue facing humanity.

Fading Almond blossoms

Famous for its almond blossoms, Uruzgan province in the central highlands has witnessed a nearly 50 per cent reduction in its orchards' yield. This decline is attributed to a diminishing water supply and disruptive shifts in weather patterns, as reported by local farmers.

"The almond yields have decreased due to the drought this year. It is getting worse day by day. Half of the almond trees have dried up," Gul Mohammad, a gardener in his late 50’s living in Uruzgan, said.

Hamid Ullah, another devastated gardener from Uruzgan, lamented that his orchards, once yielding three to four harvests of up to 200 kilograms of almonds each season, have gradually dwindled to less than 100 kilograms now.

"Because there is a lack of water, both underground and from the rains, most of my trees have dried up," he told FairPlanet. "Our main problems are due to water and changing weather patterns. We do not know [...] what we can do about it."

Both of these gardeners, like the vast majority of farmers in Afghanistan, provide for large families. Many of them now rely on vital livelihood support from dwindling humanitarian services provided by aid agencies grappling with a decline in funding.

"I am getting old now, two of my sons have tried their luck to earn a livelihood by migrating to neighbouring Iran, but they were badly beaten by the border guards and deported," said Mohammad. "If our almond orchards continue to suffer, we will have no other means of income at all."

The UN’s World Food Program has warned that Afghanistan is confronting its most severe famine risk in two decades. Farmers, already grappling with one of the country's worst droughts in decades, face further distress as their dried-up harvests exacerbate the existing crisis of soaring hunger, the organisation has cautioned.

"Alterations in the water cycle have led to a shift from snow precipitation to rainfall, which doesn't persist on the ground and flows downstream, resulting in reduced snow accumulation in the mountains compared to previous decades," Afghan environmentalist Assem Mayar, an independent researcher studying the water-energy-food nexus, told FairPlanet.

Mayar pointed out that due to inadequate water infrastructure, rainwater rapidly drains away from Afghanistan within days, leading to shortages of drinking and irrigation water during the summer months. This, in turn, has a detrimental impact on agriculture and food production in the region.

Moreover, she said, the increased frequency and severity of droughts due to climate change have further diminished food production, leading to a humanitarian crisis.

"The desertification triggered by climate change has led to sandstorms and heatwaves, causing numerous fatalities, particularly among the elderly and infants," she said.

At the same time, Mayar emphasised, climate change has intensified rainfall patterns in Afghanistan, leading to more severe floods and flash floods that impact a greater number of people, houses, roads and bridges across the country.

A forgotten frontline

The doomsday scenario feared by both developed and developing nations is already unfolding in Afghanistan.

"Forgotten Frontlines: Afghanistan’s Climate Crisis and the Humanitarian Emergency," was the only side event at COP28 where Afghan environmentalists hailing from different parts of the world convened online to express their thoughts and concerns.

Hamidullah Nadeem, a communications coordinator at Monash University who moderated the event, told FairPlanet that the purpose of this discussion was to advocate for the depoliticisation of climate funds, help Afghanistan receive climate financing through GEF-accredited Agencies and address the climate crisis in the country.

"Afghanistan should no longer be excluded from international platforms on this matter," he said. "There is a dire need to support climate education and mitigation in Afghanistan. Providing the due funding through accredited GEF agencies should be a first step."

Researcher Assam Mayar agreed, emphasising the need for an augmented allocation of climate funds to Afghanistan. He highlighted the country's constrained technical capacity, which hinders its capability to formulate proposals for substantial projects.

"UN agencies should [therefore] consider compromising on UN sanctions regarding the Taliban to facilitate more adaptation projects," he said. "Moreover, one effective mechanism could involve budget allocation through small grants, implementing them via local NGOs and civil society organisations."

"Unfortunately," he added, "due to the ongoing political transition, the small grants programme, which was being implemented by UNDP and financed by GEF, has been suspended since August 2021."

The International Rescue Committee issued a warning recently underscoring the dire impact of the confluence of climate change and conflict, rendering existence untenable for millions in Afghanistan. But amid the political exploitation of Afghanistan's climate crisis, the silent suffering of impoverished farmers and their orchards persists.

Image by Farid Ershad.