Afghanistan

Conflict and the Loss of Forests

The arid countryside and resulting low level of subsistence agricultural production has been highlighted as a serious problem that faces Afghanistan, with the rising global temperature likely to lead to further declines in farming. Since fighting began in 1978, Afghanistan has lost over 70 percent of its forests, leading to soil erosion, a decline in soil fertility, and a rise in salinization. In addition, there has been a dramatic fall in water tables, which has affected electricity production, as 64 percent of electric power comes from hydropower. The remaining 36 percent is derived from fossil fuels. One important hydroelectric plant is located in Sarobi on the Kabul River and provides much of the power for Kabul, the capital and largest city. It was built in the 1950s with German assistance. A drought from 1998 to 2001 led to power blackouts as hydroelectric power production was badly affected. Prior to the use of hydropower, there was heavy reliance on wind power, with horizontal windmills installed on top of buildings between Herat in the west and the Iranian frontier from as early as the 7th century c.e. These windmills were primarily used to grind grain.

The sulfur industry operates around the city of Maimana in the northwest part of the country, and a small oil industry exists near Herat. There is also a small solar installation near Kabul in the east.

Meteorological data is difficult to record with much accuracy in Afghanistan because of the dangers posed to continuous research in the country. However, in 2001, Afghanistan recorded the warmest winter on record, with crop production decreasing. The Afghan refugee crisis created by the war continues, with many people unable to subsist in their villages. Because the country is greatly underdeveloped, it has one of the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per capita in the world, with 0.2 metric tons per capita in 1990 falling to negligible levels in 1997, and now estimated at 0.03 metric tons per capita. Only Burundi, Chad, [Page 15]the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali record even lower levels. The Afghan government took part in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) signed in Rio de Janeiro in May 1992, which took place less than a month after the overthrow of the pro-Russian president, Mohammad Najibullah. Under the Taliban government, there was little participation in international forums, and the government of president Hamid Karzai has not expressed an opinion on the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC.

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