How is Climate Change Effecting Pakistan

Climate change is humankind’s greatest existential threat in modern times. We’re already living through its negative effects and are more likely to have profound consequences for socio-economic sectors such as health, energy consumption, and resource management. Pakistan is not immune to climate change effects. Pakistan, which has been listed as the 7th most vulnerable country to climate change, is now seriously facing the vagaries of weather. The increased average temperature is having a radical effect on our climate and those effects will become more severe in the coming years.

Glaciers are melting and consequently sea level is rising. Global sea level rose about eight inches in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and is accelerating slightly every year. The major water resource of Pakistan is the melting snow from the Himalayan glaciers. But excessive melting is causing floods that threaten health, destroy agriculture, water supplying canals and the hopes of a socioeconomically better country. In the past 10 years, Pakistan has been hit by floods almost every year. Although Pakistan itself contributes very little to the overall emissions of greenhouse gases, yet it remains one of the most severely hit countries of the world by the global warming phenomenon.

Air quality has drastically declined due to climate effects, which has been causing catastrophic patterns of smog in Lahore and many other parts within Pakistan Punjab, for the last three years. Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has all of a sudden risen from less than 200 to more than 500.

Climate changes are causing the weather to alter its idiosyncrasy, originating from a serious threat to the vast population of Pakistan. According to reports, Pakistan has faced around 150 devastating weather incidents as a result of climate change in the last two decades: floods, smog, forest fires, melting glaciers, freaky heat waves, displaced population, etc. Moreover, Pakistan is also likely to experience frequent severe cyclones and storm surges due to rising ambient and sea temperatures in the future, which could threaten coastal cities such as Karachi, Thatta, and Badin. Over the past 50 years, the annual mean temperature in Pakistan has already increased by roughly 0.6 degrees.

The graph shows an increase in average temperature since 1960

Global warming is not only affecting the health but also the wealth of Pakistan. Climate changes are costing the economy $14 billion a year, which is almost 5% of the GDP. More than a hundred thousand people have been displaced in Pakistan over the last 2 years due to these climate-related disasters.

Pakistan is mainly an agricultural country but, in the end, we are fast losing our lands to droughts and seawater intrusion, while on the other side, glaciers are fast melting, resulting in permanent changes and reduction in water flows in our rivers. With the changing cropping seasons and more erratic and unpredictable monsoon season, Pakistan’s food security is also under increasing threat of climate change. The swelling unpredictability in river flows has made planning for hydro-energy much more difficult and unreliable. As environmental degradation takes place, livelihood options shrink, forcing people to migrate to cities in search of economic opportunities.

The need for adaptation policies and actions to reduce climate change is increasingly recognized. Pakistan’s Government is forced to rethink their ways to manage climatic impacts and to focus not only on mitigation but also adaptation. Pakistani Government has been taking the climate change issue very seriously for the last few years. PM of Pakistan, Imran Khan asked the whole world to participate in a campaign of “Billion Tree Tsunami” and asked world leaders and the UN to take this threat seriously. Provincial governments are taking immediate decisions by spreading awareness in schools and the local population about pollution, global warming, and climate changes.

“In a world of more than seven billion people, each of us is a drop in the bucket. But with enough drops, we can fill any bucket.” — David Suzuki

Other than non-profit and government organizations we have to play our part too:

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