Although Afghanistan only lets out 0.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the war-torn country has warmed a whopping 1.8 degrees Celsius—almost twice the global average—since the 1950s.

Despite Afghanistan facing some of the worst climate change impacts in the world, many Afghans are unaware of its role in their daily struggles. With poverty, war, and survival taking priority, climate change remains an afterthought—largely because it has not been communicated in a way that resonates with Afghan audiences.

What began as a Cold War proxy conflict shattered Afghanistan’s future. The Soviet invasion not only destroyed infrastructure but also planted the seeds of Islamic fundamentalism—seeds that would grow into the Taliban. Decades later, Afghanistan remains trapped in the war’s long shadow, with poverty, extremism, and a broken economy defining its modern reality.

Iranian women were key to the Iranian Revolution, taking to the streets in nightly demonstrations against the Shah. They fought for the right to choose, only to find themselves stripped of even more freedoms under the Ayatollah’s rule. Decades later, the same women—now joined by a new generation—are once again leading the fight, this time against the very system they helped bring to power.