Main content

How are Afghans fighting climate change?

Afghanistan has been on the frontline of war for decades. Now, it鈥檚 on the frontline of climate change, facing floods and drought. But Afghans around the world are fighting back.

Climate change has been tightening its grip on the people of Afghanistan, with flood after flood and drought after drought. It鈥檚 considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, not just because it鈥檚 warming twice as fast as the global average, but because its people鈥檚 ability to fight back has been severely hampered by decades of conflict and war. To add insult to injury, Afghanistan has contributed very little to the industrial emissions that fuel the global climate crisis.

Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, financial aid to help locals adapt has drastically dropped, leaving Afghans to take matters into their own hands.
But presenters Graihagh Jackson and Barry Sadid hear how the diaspora is helping villages back home to build life-saving dams and protect themselves against extreme weather. And we ask if there鈥檚 a way for foreign governments to financially support Afghanistan without legitimizing the Taliban.

Experts include:
Dr Orzala Nemat, Development Research Group LTD
Najib Sadid, an Afghan hydrologist based in Germany
Naim Yosufi, Project Manager for the Daikundi Irrigation Project
Mohammad Ayoub, Keil Mosque, Germany

Have a question you鈥檇 like answered? Email: TheClimateQuestion@bbc.com or Whatsapp +44 8000 321 721, starting your message with "climate"

Producers: Jordan Dunbar and Barry Sadid from 成人快手 Monitoring
Sound Engineers: Tom Brignell and Hal Haines
Production Coordinators: Debbie Richford, Sophie Hill, Brenda Brown
Editor: Simon Watts

Available now

26 minutes

Last on

Wed 14 Aug 2024 19:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sun 11 Aug 2024 13:06GMT
  • Sun 11 Aug 2024 13:32GMT
  • Sun 11 Aug 2024 21:06GMT
  • Wed 14 Aug 2024 01:32GMT
  • Wed 14 Aug 2024 08:32GMT
  • Wed 14 Aug 2024 19:06GMT

Podcast