The International Conference on Climate Change began in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Saturday (February 10) and will last for three days.

Top ranked officials of the Islamic Emirate at the inauguration of the conference said the international forces used various types of weapons during the two-decade presence which has seriously harmed both soil and environment of the country.

They said that the international community, industrial countries in particular, are responsible for helping Afghanistan mitigate the impact of climate change.

“Even their [foreign forces] physical presence harmed us to a large extent, they used the mother of all bombs, they destroyed our gardens to build roads for themselves, they destroyed the greenery of our country,” said Nida Muhammad Nadim, the acting minister of higher education.
 
“Water, agriculture, forests, pastures, biodiversity, health and energy are the most susceptible sectors to climate change,” said Rohulamin, head of the climate change department at the National Environmental Protection Agency.

Participants of the conference made a number of suggestions for fighting against the impact of climate change.

They asked the ministry of agriculture to stop deforestation and build more check dams across the country.

“New plants need to be planted for forests and they have to be protected properly, this will help us not only protect the existing forests but also make our mountains full of trees,” said Saeed Ahmad Banori, the deputy governor of Nangarhar province.

“The world has politicized climate change in Afghanistan, our country has the least contribution to the climate change,” said Khalil Ahmad Behsodi, the chancellor of Nangarhar University.

“30 million Afghans do not access potable water in Afghanistan. Those whose war has been imposed on Afghans are responsible for the situation,” said Esmatullah Durrani, lecturer at Nangarhar University.

Not only government officials but university lecturers and researchers have also been invited to the conference.

250 academic articles have been sent to the conference, 20 of them are from other countries.