Mitigation of Climate Change Through Using Renewable Energy in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is negligible on a global scale however Afghanistan is adversely affected by the effects of climate change. Climate changes deeply affected Afghanistan’s natural resources, including water, agriculture, forests, pastures, rangeland, and ecosystems. Livelihoods are dependent on agriculture and create the basis of the country’s economy. Renewable energy sources, including hydropower, solar, wind power, and biomass is abundant, and their potential is much more than the national energy and electricity demands. The protracted war and political instability damaged the socio-economic and environmental infrastructure of the country. Therefore, Afghanistan mostly relies on energy transition from neighboring countries however the country possesses huge renewable energy resources. Also, renewable energy resource utilization greatly influences environmental and socio-economic development. In this study, it is investigated how renewable energy contributes to mitigating climate change in Afghanistan. Also, a rough estimation of renewable energy resources’ potential is conducted. In addition, the role of renewable energy resources in the sustainable development of the country is reviewed.