KABUL (SW) – Officials from the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) of the Islamic Emirate have shared the agency’s achievements from its participation in the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29).
The event took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11th to 22nd.
Matiulhaq Khalis, the Acting Head of NEPA, stated that women and children in Afghanistan are more affected by the negative impacts of climate change. He added that Afghanistan will require an annual budget of $20.6 billion until 2030 to implement its environmental adaptation programs.
Mr. Khalis emphasized: “Afghanistan has revised its participation document and will soon present it to the global climate change convention. This document highlights Afghanistan’s need for $20.6 billion annually for climate adaptation and mitigation until 2030.”
NEPA officials stated that climate and environmental issues should not be politicized, and instead should be viewed as a social and humanitarian challenge.
Rohullah Amin, the Director of Climate Change at NEPA, mentioned that eight global community-approved environmental projects in Afghanistan are currently under discussion, with work on two of these projects having been resumed after being temporarily suspended.
According to NEPA statistics, Afghanistan has seen significant environmental losses due to climate change in recent years.
At least 182 kilometers of glaciers have melted, more than 140 species of animals and plants are at risk of extinction, and 2.5 million people have been forced to leave their homes due to droughts.
