KABUL (SW) – Environmental experts in Afghanistan stress the urgent need for prioritizing environmental conservation to combat the escalating impacts of climate change.
Concerns are growing among experts about the annual rise in adverse climate effects and the waning attention from both the public and authorities towards safeguarding the environment.
“The people and governance must elevate environmental protection as a top priority,” says Hakim Haidar, a university professor and environmental expert. He emphasized, “We must actively engage in informing the public to curtail unnecessary consumption and self-indulgence. Our objective is to preserve the environment, sustain natural resources, and mitigate substantial environmental impacts, such as the depletion of water and soil resources. Encouraging the use of renewable resources instead of non-renewable ones, managing waste effectively, and promoting environmental stewardship should be paramount.”
Similarly, Hedayatullah Azimi, another environmental expert, underscores the importance of public awareness campaigns focused on environmental conservation as a strategic approach to mitigate climate change and protect the environment.
“We need to launch comprehensive awareness campaigns targeting all sectors of society, governmental and private organizations alike, to prioritize environmental protection. Climate change has profoundly devastated Afghanistan, intensifying year by year,” Azimi warns.
The environmental experts stresses the crucial role of governments as pivotal enforcement entities alongside awareness campaigns.
Mohammad Farid Arefi, another environmental expert and university professor, “… however, organizing conferences alone without effective governmental enforcement renders efforts futile. Governments must play a fundamental role in this regard,” he asserts.
According to the experts, government initiatives such as policy formulation, coordination, monitoring and planning on environmental affairs, as well as, research systems can effectively safeguard the environment.
Preserving cleanliness, water conservation, protecting trees, promoting public transportation, and proper disposal of food waste are among the essential responsibilities highlighted for the public in environmental conservation efforts.
