Episode description

Climate change has been tightening its grip on the people of Afghanistan, with flood after flood and drought after drought. It’s considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, not just because it’s warming twice as fast as the global average, but because its people’s ability to fight back has been severely hampered by decades of conflict and war. To add insult to injury, Afghanistan has contributed very little to the industrial emissions that fuel the global climate crisis.

Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, financial aid to help locals adapt has drastically dropped, leaving Afghans to take matters into their own hands. But presenters Graihagh Jackson and Barry Sadid hear how the diaspora is helping villages back home to build life-saving dams and protect themselves against extreme weather. And we ask if there’s a way for foreign governments to financially support Afghanistan without legitimizing the Taliban.

Experts include: Dr Orzala Nemat, Development Research Group LTD Najib Sadid, an Afghan hydrologist based in Germany Naim Yosufi, Project Manager for the Daikundi Irrigation Project Mohammad Ayoub, Keil Mosque, Germany

Have a question you’d like answered? Email: TheClimateQuestion@bbc.com or Whatsapp +44 8000 321 721, starting your message with "climate"

Producers: Jordan Dunbar and Barry Sadid from BBC Monitoring Sound Engineers: Tom Brignell and Hal Haines Production Coordinators: Debbie Richford, Sophie Hill, Brenda Brown Editor: Simon Watts