Taliban attends major UN climate summit for first time since seizing power

The Taliban has attended a major United Nations climate summit for the first time since t​​he militant group seized control of Afghanistan in 2021.
The COP29 climate summit kicked off on Monday in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, with the Taliban sending a delegation to the talks in a bid to garner support in dealing with global warming.
It is one of the most important multilateral talks to include the Taliban, who do not have official recognition as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Head of Afghanistan’s environment protection agency, Matuil Haq Khalis, said the country needs international support to deal with extreme weather including heavy rainfall, droughts and flash floods.
“All the countries must join hands and tackle the problem of climate change,” he told The Associated Press.
The Taliban delegation will have an observer status at the talks.
Khalis said he has requested bilateral talks with a number of countries, including the US.
“We were not part of the last three conferences … but we are happy that this time we are here and we will be able to deliver the message of Afghan people with the international community,” he said.
An August report by aid agency Save the Children found that Afghanistan is the sixth most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change and that 25 of its 34 provinces face severe or catastrophic drought conditions, affecting more than half the population.
Afghanistan also had the highest number of children made homeless by climate disasters of any country as of the end of last year, according to the report.
In March, the country’s north was hit with heavy rains resulting in flash floods, killing over 300 people.
Climate scientists have found that extreme rainfall has gotten 25 percent heavier over the last 40 years in the country.
Khalis said Afghanistan said the country had potential for wind and solar power but needs international support to develop it.