A suicide bombing near Kabul airport on Thursday added another dimension to the chaos in Afghanistan as Western forces rush to complete their evacuation.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blasts that killed at least 175 people, including 13 US soldiers, challenging the Taliban’s hold on the capital.

Either group is bad news for Afghan women and girls, and anyone with links to the former government or exiting armies.

Taliban officials are on a charm offensive in international media, with one suggesting to Newsweek the group could contribute to fighting climate change if formally recognised by other governments.

Don’t expect the Taliban to consign coal to history any time soon, though. The militant group gets a surprisingly large share of its revenue from mining — more than from the opium trade — and could scale up coal exports to pay salaries as it seeks to govern.

Afghan people could certainly use support to cope with the impacts of climate change. The UN estimates more than 10 million are at risk of hunger due to the interplay of conflict and drought.

Water scarcity
Water scarcity has compounded instability in the country for decades, arguably helping the Taliban to recruit desperate farmers.

There was not enough investment in irrigation and water management during periods of relative peace.

One adaptation tactic was to switch crops from thirsty wheat to drought-resistant opium poppies — but that brought its own problems.

The question for the international community is: who gets to represent Afghans’ climate interests?

If the Taliban is serious about climate engagement as a route to legitimacy, Cop26 will be an early test.

Megan Darby is editor of Climate Change News.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk

Pacific Islanders across the Pacific and within Pacific Island diaspora communities in Australia, New Zealand and the United States are joining more than 800 actions in 90 countries under the banner of Rise for Climate to demonstrate the urgency of the climate crisis.

From the September 8-10, these Pacific communities will shine a spotlight on the increasing impacts they are experiencing and demand stronger action to keep fossil fuels in the ground, reports the advocacy group 350 Pacific.

As part of these global mobilisations, the Pacific is leading the charge with creative events and actions that call for a swift and just transition to 100 percent renewable energy for all.

READ MORE: World has three years left to stop dangerous climate change, warn experts

Globally, people are rising to support urgent action before 2020 to accelerate to the rapid phase out of fossil fuels and a just transition to clean and fair energy systems for all.

“There is no time to lose. Climate change is a threat that is already here and now in the Pacific: inundation by sea level rise, the strongest cyclones ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere, massive flooding, and droughts are some of the recent impacts of climate change being felt across the region,” says 350 Pacific.

Already this year the world has experienced:

• Catastrophic heatwaves in North Africa, Europe, Japan, Pakistan, Australia and Argentina;
• Deadly wildfires in Greece, Sweden, the USA and Russia;
• Drought in Kenya and Somalia;
• Major water shortages in Afghanistan and South Africa;
• Extreme storms and flooding in Hawaii, India, Oman and Yemen;
• Record melting of the Bering Sea ice; and
• the 400th month in a row of above-average global temperatures.

This weekend’s Rise for Climate will demonstrate the growing strength and diversity of the climate movement and the people who will not wait for governments to act, but will lead by example and hold them to account.

Climate change affects the whole of the Pacific, including West Papua. 350 Pacific says:

“On top of dealing with the Indonesian occupation, our brothers and sisters in West Papua are also living with the impacts of climate change.”

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz