Paving the way for sustainable change: decarbonizing DRC in Afghanistan

Pioneering carbon cutting methods in humanitarian operations

DRC Afghanistan’s decarbonization roadmap is a landmark step towards its climate goals. Afghanistan is the first DRC location to have piloted the decarbonization roadmap; its success is a milestone, and one which is expected to have a ripple effect across both the organization and the humanitarian sector.

As well as lifting the decarbonization roadmap off the ground, the team in Afghanistan have made strides in in solarization, waste management, and energy use consciousness. Qasim Shabbier, Head of Support Services, led the “GHG Emissions Global Information Session: Financing Solarization”, an external webinar targeted at other organizations. Through its decarbonization work, DRC Afghanistan underscores how climate mitigation is essential to humanitarian action, inspiring progress across the sector.

The decarbonisation roadmap: objectives, implementation, and lessons

The launch of the Decarbonization Roadmap in Afghanistan marked a pivotal moment in DRC’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, building on DRC’s adoption of the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations. The overall aim of the decarbonization roadmap, piloted by DRC Afghanistan, is to cut DRC’s carbon emissions in half by 2030. The decarbonization roadmap sets out to tackle emissions in a structured way: by enhancing efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy, optimizing transportation, and implementing sustainable procurement to operational practices.

By weaving environmental considerations into its operations and partnerships, DRC aims to set a precedent for the humanitarian sector, demonstrating that climate action is integral to safeguarding human dignity and securing a sustainable future.

The WREC case study of DRC Afghanistan’s decarbonisation project highlights how solarisation efforts, partly financed by waste reuse, and sustainable transport improvements can make humanitarian field operations more sustainable all while saving costs. Already, solarisation has led to 60% cost reduction, and an emission reduction at the country office equivalent to planting ~930 trees. Overall, generator use has decreased which contributes to lower air pollution levels.

DRC Afghanistan’s decarbonisation work provides useful lessons to other country offices and humanitarian organizations looking to cut emissions.

• Start with your carbon footprint to identify hotspots, set a baseline, and demonstrate progress.
• Look for win-win measures that generate cost AND emissions saving.
• Take a deeper look at procurement, addressing high-spent and high carbon footprint items.
• Explore low-handing fruit: measures without upfront cost or time investment, e.g. telecommuting.
• Look at local infrastructure and available technologies.
• Combine different means to cover upfront costs: ask whether HQ has funds dedicated to sustainability.
• Choose modular systems and approaches: start small but have expansion in mind when more funds become available.

Read the full case study for further detail: From Challenges to Change - Decarbonizing DRC Afghanistan's CO