UN CALLS FOR URGENT CLIMATE ACTION TO SAFEGUARD AFGHANISTAN’S FUTURE

“Afghanistan’s climate crisis is not a distant threat — it is happening now, impacting lives, livelihoods, and the natural systems that all its people depend on,” said Indrika Ratwatte, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. 

“The world must seize the opportunity for a positive energy shift called for by the Secretary-General. The consequences of inaction will be catastrophic not only for Afghans, but with implications for regional and global stability,” he said. 

Ratwatte also welcomed initiatives to enhance Afghanistan’s long-term energy security, emphasizing the importance of scaling up investment in renewable energy. 

On Tuesday UN Secretary-General António Guterres focused on a hopeful story emerging amidst the ongoing climate devastation and turmoil: that of a new energy era. He outlined a compelling and evidence-backed case for why a just transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy is inevitable – and the vast benefits it will bring for people and economies. 

“As a frontline victim of climate change, Afghanistan’s future will in large part depend on a global energy revolution,” Ratwatte said.

Already devastated by decades of war, economic hardship, and humanitarian crises, Afghanistan is also among the ten countries in the world that are most vulnerable to climate impacts – including severe and successive drought, erratic rainfall, flash floods, and declining water supplies. 

Compounding the crisis is the country’s weak infrastructure and limited access to reliable energy, now even further stretched by population pressures including a daily influx of tens of thousands of Afghan returnees. 

In response, the United Nations and its partners are stepping up efforts to assist Afghans with mitigating and adapting to the impact of climate change in areas such as water security and smart infrastructure, the clean energy transition, land and ecosystem restoration, and disaster risk reduction and community resilience.