Changing climate parches Afghanistan, exacerbating poverty

By ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press

SANG-E-ATASH, Afghanistan (AP) — Fed by rain and snowmelt from mountains, this valley nestled among northwestern Afghanistan’s jagged peaks was once fertile. But the climate has changed in the last few decades, locals say, leaving the earth barren and its people struggling to survive. Many now depend on food aid or have fled as repeated droughts parch the land, leaving no pastures for livestock and nowhere to grow life-sustaining crops. The severe drought now gripping Afghanistan has dramatically worsened the already desperate situation in the country. Experts say the effects of climate change are clearly visible already in Afghanistan, and will make such events even more severe in the future.