EU pledges 36m Euros for Afghan climate change

KABUL 36 million in aid to help the impoverished nation deal with climate change – a task that needs $17 billion in ten years.

Addressing a seminar “Dealing with Challenge of Climate Change in Afghanistan” EU Head of Mission in Afghanistan Pierre Mayaudon said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss problems and challenges regarding climate change and to seek solutions for them.

He said the earth faced with climate changes, but the change was more serious in Afghanistan. He said increasing drought, lack of agriculture goods, danger of floods and declining underground water level were signs of climate change in Afghanistan. He said the fight against climate change should be the government’s responsibility.

The EU head of mission added that they would provide 36 million Euros in aid for climate change related efforts in Afghanistan and stressed that other donor countries should also help Afghanistan in this regard.

Shah Zaman Maiwand, head of the National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA), hailed the EU contribution in dealing with environmental changes and added that Afghanistan needed $17.4 billion from 2020 to 2030 to deal with the challenges of climate change.

He said only 1.4 million people were being threatened by the climate change in the north of the country.

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