Revitalizing Nature and Public Health: Our Path Toward a Sustainable Environment

Message on the World Environment Day

Keypoints: 

• Institutional Transition: Expanding “Environment Day” to a national week to boost awareness.
• Climate-Security Link: Linking droughts and crop failures to crime and poppy cultivation.
• Urban Air Quality: Banning low-quality fuels to eliminate city smog.
• Acoustic Health: Reducing noise from loudspeakers and wedding halls.
• Water Infrastructure: Investing $1.5B in dams, canals, and kariz systems.
• The “Green Belt” Initiative: Creating a 10,000-hectare forest around Kabul.
• Reforestation & Pastures: Stopping illegal logging to restore forest cover.
• Cultural Renaissance: Replacing plastics with traditional cloth and paper bags.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Respected Compatriots, The 5th of June, corresponding to the 15th of Jauza, marks World Environment Day. Improving our living environment is of paramount importance for all of humanity—indeed, for all life on Earth. For us in Afghanistan, this importance is magnified, as climate change and environmental degradation have exerted a disproportionately negative impact on our nation.

Climate Change & National Security

In this very month of Jauza, we witnessed five consecutive hours of snowfall in certain regions of Badakhshan. Such abnormal precipitation patterns inflict direct damage upon both human life and our agricultural foundation. Furthermore, Southern Afghanistan has faced a prolonged drought since 1375 (1996), which we identify as a primary driver behind the cultivation of poppy and the expansion of the criminal economy.

Urban Crisis: Air and Noise Pollution

In Kabul, the air quality during autumn and winter occasionally deteriorates to such a degree that visibility is reduced to less than five meters. Air pollution is a direct and indirect factor in numerous deaths. We can draw upon the successful experiences of other nations that have managed to purify their urban air. For instance, investment in public transport encourages citizens to prefer buses over private vehicles, thereby reducing traffic congestion and toxic emissions in our major cities.

To this end, I assure our citizens: we will, under no circumstances, permit the importation of low-quality fuel. We are prepared to take every legal measure to stop the use of substandard fuels, which not only shorten the lifespan of machinery but also cause fatal diseases.

In Afghanistan, we also require decisive action to reduce noise pollution. This "invisible" pollution, which produces both mental and physical ailments, is rampant in our cities. From the excessive use of car horns to the unregulated use of loudspeakers, various factors contribute to this issue. Some individuals have assumed a "right" to use loudspeakers during weddings or other ceremonies until the middle of the night, showing no regard for the rest and peace of their neighbors.

Institutional Reform: "Environment Week"

To bolster the culture of environmental protection and to increase public awareness, the Government of Afghanistan has decided to elevate "Environment Day" in our official calendar to "Environment Week." Moving forward, from the 15th to the 21st of Jauza, the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) and other relevant institutions will conduct diverse programs to strengthen social consciousness and accelerate our struggle against environmental challenges.

Water and Soil Protection

Dear Compatriots! Water pollution, which causes millions of deaths annually across the globe, remains one of our people's greatest challenges. In our cities, the majority lack access to clean drinking water, and in our villages, this crisis is even more acute.

Soil contamination is another environmental hurdle facing our major cities, particularly Kabul. Today, the streets of Kabul are littered with plastic bags like autumn leaves—a major factor in the toxification of our soil. Middle-aged residents of Kabul will remember a time when a single grapevine trellis would shade an entire courtyard; such examples are rare today because the purity of our soil and air has been compromised.

Cultural Renaissance & The "Plastic Plague"

The travelogues of tourists who visited Kabul four or five decades ago are filled with praise for its azure skies and pristine air. Today, however, that lapis-lazuli sky is gone, and the air is no longer clean. In the past, shopkeepers crafted paper bags for their customers, and urban families used cloth bags for their groceries. Today, these have been largely replaced by plastic bags, which inflict severe damage on both health and the environment. Even bakery bread is now commonly carried in plastic rather than cloth. We must abandon these harmful habits and revive our forgotten eco-friendly culture. The reckless disposal of plastic bags leads directly to the degradation of our land.

Strategic Infrastructure & Reforestation

To develop this culture of environmental stewardship, the education system, the media, and civil society must play a pivotal role. For a healthy environment, green spaces are essential. The Government intends to invest $1.5 billion over the next four to five years to reconstruct and develop our irrigation networks, dams, and kariz systems. These measures will not only revitalize the economy and the lives of our farmers but will fundamentally improve our environment.

In the past, three percent of Afghanistan’s land was covered by forests; in recent years, this has dwindled to 2.6 percent. Forests prevent soil erosion and flooding while acting as natural air purifiers. Consequently, the Government is firmly committed to the preservation, restoration, and expansion of our forests, preventing illegal logging and re-greening degraded areas. Furthermore, the Government aims to prevent the destruction of pastures and meadows, with a goal to restore 50,000 hectares of degraded pastureland to its original state within the next five years.

The Government is also determined to establish a 10,000-hectare Green Belt around the city of Kabul to aid in air purification. We envision similar measures for other cities across the country.

Ethical Duty & Conclusion

Protecting our soil, water, and air, and safeguarding our forests and green environments, is our collective national, moral, and human duty. Every one of us must participate; we must not be unjust toward the blessings of the Almighty.

As Sheikh Saadi (peace be upon him) said:

The clouds, the wind, the moon, the sun, and the heavens are all at work, So that you may earn a loaf of bread and not eat it in negligence. All are wandering and obedient for your sake, It is not a condition of fairness that you should not obey.

Once again, I ask all my compatriots to cooperate with the State in protecting the environment, which provides the foundation for a healthy life. Maintaining a healthy environment is a human and moral obligation for us all. A progressive society requires a healthy environment alongside the strengthening of ethics, science, and technology.

I express my prior gratitude to all staff of the environmental protection agencies and relevant ministries for their awareness campaigns and their appropriate actions in this field.

Long live Afghanistan!