Climate change in Afghanistan

Graph showing temperature change in Afghanistan between 1901 and 2021.

In Afghanistan, climate change has led to a temperature increase of 1.8 °C since 1950. This has caused far-reaching impacts on Afghanistan, culminating from overlapping interactions of natural disasters (due to changes in the climate system), conflict, agricultural dependency, and severe socio-economic hardship.

Combined with infrequent earthquakes, climate-related disasters such as floods, flash floods, avalanches and heavy snowfalls on average affect over 200,000 people every year,[1] causing massive losses of lives, livelihoods and properties.[2][3][4][5] These interacting factors, particularly protracted conflicts which erode and challenge the ability to handle, adapt to and plan for climate change at individual and national levels, often turn climate change risks and hazards into disasters.

Although the country itself contributes only very little to global warming with regards to greenhouse gas emissions, droughts due to climate change affect and will affect Afghanistan to a high degree.

Due to a combination of political, geographic, and social factors, Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts in the world,[6][7] ranked 179 out of 185 countries.[8][9][10] As of 2021, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has committed more than $900 million,[11] for irrigation and agriculture infrastructure projects to help with food security, agribusiness, and enhancement of water resources management through a climate resilience approach.[12]

  1. ^ "223,000 Afghans Affected by Natural Disasters: OCHA". TOLOnews. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  2. ^ "200 flood affected families receive food aid in Paktia". Ariana News. August 11, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  3. ^ "511 dead, 3,700 injured in flash floods over the past year in Afghanistan". Ariana News. August 18, 2022. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  4. ^ "Flash Floods Cause Casualties, Damage in Several Provinces". TOLOnews. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  5. ^ "Overlapping vulnerabilities: The impacts of climate change on humanitarian needs" (PDF). Norwegian Red Cross. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-18 – via Relief Web.
  6. ^ "Afghanistan ranked as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change". Ariana News. December 18, 2020. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  7. ^ "ADB's Focus on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management". Asian Development Bank. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Country Index - Rankings". Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  9. ^ "Afghanistan 6th Vulnerable Country to Climate Change: NEPA". TOLOnews. 6 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  10. ^ "NEPA reports on environmental crisis in light of climate change". Ariana News. August 6, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  11. ^ "ADB's Work in Afghanistan". Asian Development Bank. 25 April 2022. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Asian Development Bank Reports on Results From 2022 Aid Grant". TOLOnews. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-11.