Will Kabul Become the First Capital in the World Without Water?!
(Translated)
The News:
The head of the National Environmental Protection Agency in Afghanistan called for Afghanistan's official participation in the Thirtieth Conference of the Parties in Brazil. He stressed the need to end Afghanistan's observer status, and that it has the right to participate effectively in these conferences and raise its voice on the consequences of climate change. He stressed that the country is facing drought, water scarcity, flash floods, and shrinking arable land.
Comment:
A recent report by Mercy Corps warns that Kabul could become the first modern capital in the world to face a comprehensive water crisis. This crisis has been exacerbated by a combination of factors, including climate change, mismanagement of water resources, rapid population growth, and urbanization.
Afghanistan is experiencing a severe drought, which has led to the destruction of water resources, the migration of rural residents, and desertification in more than 75% of its land. This environmental crisis has exposed millions of people to the risk of hunger, malnutrition, and famine, threatening their livelihoods severely. As a result of these climate changes, we have also witnessed severe floods in the eastern and northeastern provinces of Afghanistan, as well as in the areas behind the Durand Line - floods that brought with them tragic images of family deaths and widespread destruction.
One of the main problems with international environmental structures, including the United Nations, the Thirtieth Conference of the Parties, and institutions such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, is that while they appear to be global cooperation, they are in fact subject to the interests of major powers and the capitalist system. These powers - especially America, China, and the industrialized countries - are the world's largest polluters and the main driver of climate change, yet they show the least commitment to fulfilling their climate promises and financing climate justice. America's political withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and its return to it, and its failure to fulfill its financial obligations, are examples of structural instability.
In addition, the root causes of climate change stem from the principled and economic foundations of capitalism, a system that prioritizes material value over spiritual, human, and ethical values. The overuse of fossil fuels, the continuous exploitation of natural resources, deforestation, and excessive consumption all stem from this worldview. This systematic corruption is what God Almighty described in the Holy Quran: ﴿Corruption has appeared in the land and sea because of what people's hands have earned﴾.
On the other hand, the Afghan government's position in terms of domestic policy regarding these issues and building institutions to respond to natural disasters is unsatisfactory. The deeper problem is that the Taliban claims neutrality in foreign policy, while this position is insufficient and not religiously or rationally justified in the face of this complex global reality. Neutrality in the face of a corrupt system that dominates the world politically, economically, culturally, and even environmentally is neither possible nor effective. While Afghanistan is neutral in greenhouse gas emissions and has no part in causing them, it is one of the ten countries most affected by climate change.
The world is not neutral in harming us. According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Afghanistan is among the ten countries most affected by natural disasters and climate change, including droughts, floods, earthquakes, and storms. According to the INFORM Risk Index for 2023, Afghanistan ranks fourth, and in the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index, it ranks eighth, although the country contributes little to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the basic problem at the global level lies in a deep-rooted and corrupt system that has permeated every aspect of life, and even shaped people's mentality and lifestyle. Integration or inclusion within this structure is not a solution to the crisis; rather, it is a reproduction of the crisis itself in a weaker and more dependent form.
The real solution to this crisis lies in resorting to Islamic solutions and establishing the Rightly-Guided Caliphate according to the method of Prophethood. Only by returning to the divine system and applying Islamic rulings at the level of government can the corrupt global system be challenged, and humanity, society, and nature be restored to their natural state. Otherwise, humanity will remain captive to a sterile cycle, dependent on capitalist structures, without any real way out for people or the planet.
Written for the Central Media Office radio of Hizb ut Tahrir
Youssef Arsalan
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Afghanistan