The Effects of Climate Change in Pakistan
Pakistan suffers from many consequences of climate change, ranging from glacial melts to floods. Maryam tells us more about these events and potential solutions to mitigate them.
Illustration by Maddy Smith.
Global warming and uncontrolled pollution have led to drastic changes that cannot be undone by anyone. Yes! I am certainly talking about the melting glaciers, the flooded plains, the famine struck deserts, the deforested lands, the rising sea levels and many more. If we do not take climate action, there is a high probability that we may lose our Mother Nature forever. Like heartless brutes, we continue to pollute our very own home.
Despite the fact that nature has warned us repeatedly, we ignore these signs remorselessly. Like many other nations around the world, Pakistan is a major victim of the outcomes of climate change. The uncontrollable melting of ice caps have led to flooding of plains, not only destroying the crops of Punjab but also taking the lives of millions. Almost every year in the past 10 years, Pakistan has been hit by floods. The flood in 2010 is still one of the biggest tragedies as it displaced almost 14 million people.
The severe climate change has also led to the drying up of water resources in the low lying areas of Balochistan and Sindh. The lessening flow of the river has led to the drying up of irrigation canals, especially of the Punjab province which is the major food producing area of Pakistan. These areas have been a victim of famine and drought ever since and are unable to produce any crops, becoming barren.
Aside from this, the advancement of human life in the mighty Himalayas led to the displacement of the ones who used to live there. The animals died, some due to starvation while the others waiting for the strange land to turn back to their home once again. Despite the relentless efforts by the WWF, the snow leopard, native of the Himalayas is still on the verge of extinction.
The increase in greenhouse gases have resulted in an overall rise in temperature. Greenhouse gas emissions have also left an ill effect on the mean temperature of the planet. According to the ‘The Nation’, a rise in mean temperature of 0.6-10°C in the coastal areas along with a 0.5 to 0.7% increase in solar radiation over the southern half of the country has been observed. This means that there's an increased chance of skin-related diseases like skin cancer and accelerates the aging of skin. Climate change and the melting of the glaciers is also the consequence of the temperature rise. The snow, which is supposed to reflect the solar radiations, when covered in soot, absorbs the heat of the sun and increases the rate of the melting glaciers.
Repeatedly occurring natural disasters have also had a drastic effect on the crumbling economy of Pakistan. Despite the fact that Pakistan is already a resource-stressed country and is financially incapable of building multiple flood-preventing dams, millions are spent on relief work every year, leaving nothing for the development of the country.
Moreover, a lot of people living in the desert suffer and fight for their lives due to extremely low water tables especially during the summer. Everyday, they are required to walk miles just to grab a few litres of water from the drying up wells. The lack of water leads to malnutrition and dehydration, which eventually take their lives.
However, over the past two decades, Pakistan has taken several initiatives and also prepared a formal strategy for climate change. A ‘Billion Tsunami Project’ was initiated in September 2018 by the government of Pakistan in order to replant the deforested areas. The main aim was to plant 10 billion trees in five years. By January 2019, 0.5 million saplings were planted and it was announced in August 2019 that the campaign led to an increase of 6.3% in the forest cover of the country. The planting is done in sessions before the monsoon season every year and a target number of saplings are planted in specified regions. Volunteers and locals help to plant and monitor proper growth of tree saplings.
Furthermore, the government also signed the ‘Paris Agreement’ in 2019. In the past five years, around $120 million have been spent by the government to promote tree plantation. Additionally, the government's interest towards the installation of renewable energy resources and discouraging the use of non-renewable ones has also played a key role in changing the view of the public and raising awareness among the masses .
We need to work for the betterment of this world and every individual should try their best to reduce the waste as much as possible. As long as we don’t take the first step ourselves, no one can save us from the consequences of the seeds of destruction that were sown decades ago.
Maryam Salman
Maryam Salman is an O-Levels student based in Lahore, Pakistan. She also works at a feminist magazine in Pakistan. She has a strong belief that the power of a pen can change the world. Her passion for book reading has inspired her to write. By writing for Bloom In Doom, she aspires to become a well-known writer one day.