Climate and Conflict as a Vicious Cycle: The Case of Afghanistan
May 11, 2021
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Hans-Joachim Giessmann and Charlotte Hamm
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Climate change is neither a national phenomenon nor a challenge limited to individual states. Consequences of climate change can be felt more quickly or more strongly in some places; the effects often delayed or spatially separated from the cause. Shifts of less than one degree Celsius in temperature or a few centimetres in sea level determine life and survival in some regions, not to mention economic and social existence.
The responsibility of dealing with the effects of climate change cannot be transferred solely to people in affected regions. In addition to the ethical obligations of cooperation, political responsibility also includes the “polluter pays” principle in order to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change and to counteract the risks of further destabilizing the global climate. This also applies to the interdependency of climate change and the spread of political as well as social violence.
In the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which has been marked by armed conflict for decades, the consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent. What should Germany do to support Afghanistan in meeting the twin challenges posed by conflict and climate change?