A specialized symposium titled “Afghanistan at the Forefront of Climate Stress and Migration” held on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly—highlighted alarming dimensions of the environmental crisis and the destructive impacts of global climate change on Afghanistan.
Kabul 24: During the conference, senior United Nations officials and leading environmental experts emphasized that despite contributing a negligible fraction to global greenhouse gas emissions, Afghanistan is bearing a disproportionate burden and paying a heavy price at the frontlines of this planetary crisis.
Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, outlined the critical condition of the planet, stating that the past eleven years have been the warmest ever recorded in human history.
He warned that the world is on the precipice of breaching the critical 1.5°C warming threshold established under the Paris Agreement. The UN official noted that atmospheric phenomena such as El Niño add extreme heat to an already overheating planet, dramatically amplifying the risks of prolonged droughts, flash floods, and unprecedented heatwaves across vulnerable nations like Afghanistan.
Building on these assessments, environmental experts analyzed the domestic impact, raising severe concerns over an impending “water bankruptcy” in the country. According to an analysis presented by water resources and climate analyst Najibullah Sadid, mountain snowpack traditionally supplies up to 80% of Afghanistan’s total water resources.
However, rising temperatures are rapidly eroding this vital topographic advantage. Climate change has led to significantly reduced snowfall and premature snowmelt, leaving virtually no water reserves available during the critical summer agricultural season.
The compounding effects of consecutive droughts and depleted groundwater reserves not only jeopardize food security for millions of citizens but also trigger fresh waves of internal displacement and deadly natural disasters—challenges that urgently demand dedicated international attention and support.
