Taliban Criticize Exclusion as COP30 Climate Summit Opens in Brazil

DID Press: Taliban government voiced dissatisfaction over not receiving an invitation to attend the COP30 international climate summit, calling the decision inconsistent with the principles of “climate justice and global cooperation.”

According to AFP, Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) announced on Sunday that despite the country’s extreme vulnerability to climate change, it has not been formally invited to the COP30 conference.

The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) opens Monday, November 10, in Brazil, with representatives from dozens of nations in attendance.

The Taliban, who regained control of Kabul in 2021, said that political isolation should not prevent Afghanistan’s participation in global discussions on the climate crisis.

NEPA said in a statement: “Depriving the people of Afghanistan of the right to participate in this conference contradicts the principles of climate justice, global cooperation, and human solidarity.”

Last year, the Taliban government attended COP29 in Azerbaijan as a “guest” but without any formal representation in negotiations.

Despite contributing only about 0.06% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Afghanistan is among the countries most severely affected by climate change.
According to UN data, around 89% of the Afghan population depends on agriculture for their livelihood.

Recent reports show that between 2020 and 2025, Afghanistan has faced repeated droughts, with groundwater levels dropping by as much as 30 meters in some areas.
The United Nations has forecast that 2025 could be one of the hottest years on record.