Climate Crisis in Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan: The Need for an Alternate Approach

Following the Taliban’s seizure of power in August 2021, Afghanistan plunged into a severe humanitarian and economic crisis. Since then, an already dire situation has been compounded by frequent natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and droughts, many of which are linked to climate change. This chapter argues that the reduction in international aid and attention given to the country, and the Taliban’s inability to respond to these disasters effectively, have together aggravated the humanitarian and economic hardship faced by ordinary Afghans. If left unaddressed, this could result in increased cross-border migration, displacement, and violent extremism as poverty and unemployment levels rise. Drawing on more than a decade of engagement in fieldwork in Afghanistan, this chapter further unpacks and analyses the role of the international community in Afghanistan in addressing the climate crisis, elaborating pathways that go beyond a sole reliance on international NGOs for disaster response. The long-term strategy includes engaging the people and the Taliban regime in the global climate change conversations as part of environmental peace-building and incremental institution- and capacity-building in the governance sector to respond to the unfolding crisis effectively.