Baku: For the first time since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, the country has sent a delegation to the United Nations climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, seeking international assistance to combat the effects of climate change. Matuil Haq Khalis, head of Afghanistan’s environmental protection agency, emphasized the urgent need for support to address extreme weather patterns like erratic rainfall, droughts, and floods.
Afghanistan has been severely impacted by climate change, ranking as the sixth most vulnerable country globally. Recent flash floods in northern Afghanistan killed over 300 people, and experts have found that rainfall in the region has increased by 25% over the past four decades. Khalis revealed that Afghanistan has devised national action plans to mitigate these impacts and intends to update its climate goals soon, with an emphasis on harnessing wind and solar energy.
Despite the Taliban’s lack of official recognition, the Afghan delegation has been granted observer status at the talks, expressing gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for the invitation. Khalis also voiced the need for international cooperation, noting that climate change affects all demographics and sectors, urging a collective global effort to address the crisis.
Khalis expressed his readiness for bilateral discussions with various countries, including the U.S., and reaffirmed that Afghanistan’s involvement at this year’s climate talks marks an important step for the Afghan people to raise awareness about their climate vulnerabilities.
