NEPA reports on environmental crisis in light of climate change

National Environment Protection Agency of Afghanistan [NEPA] officials said on Sunday in their annual accountability report to the nation that Afghanistan has contributed only 8% to climate change and greenhouse gasses, but it is listed as the 6th most vulnerable country with regards to global warming.

According to the deputy head of NEPA, the use of weapons and chemical substances in recent decades in Afghanistan has led to a number of environmental challenges including deforestation.

Zainul Abedin Abed, head of NEPA, said perpetrators of environmental crimes should pay compensation.

“The use of chemical substances in Afghanistan has ruined our climate, and in addition to the loss of lives and the destruction of houses, even our animals are not safe. If we agree with the defenders of human rights according to their principles, they [perpetrators] should pay compensation to Afghanistan,” said Abed.

NEPA stated that in order to permanently solve sewage problems in Kabul city, a comprehensive plan has been prepared in cooperation with a relevant ministry and submitted to the cabinet and by implementing this plan, the sewage problems in Kabul will be solved.

Officials also said during the past year, the agency started practical work on 22 projects related to the environment with the cooperation of the international community. Two of these projects have been completed.

Over the past year, the activities of more than 1,000 development, infrastructure, production and industrial projects have been evaluated. Some proposed projects have been rejected due to non-compliance with environmental rules and conditions, NEPA officials said. However, they called on the international community to resume environmental-related projects in Afghanistan.

The agency also said hundreds of rare birds and animals have been prevented from being hunted in the past year. These officials say that climate change has had a negative impact on the situation in Afghanistan and that the country is threatened by the water shortage crisis, drought, and regular flood. NEPA pointed out that Afghanistan is not able to fight the effects of climate change in the country alone.