Pakistan Under Climatic Change

Of all the five main types of climates, Pakistan falls in Temperate Zone, followed by hot weather conditions near the Lower Indus Plains. At the same time, the Northern Part of Pakistan usually bears much cooler or snowy weather most of the year.

In the last few years, Pakistan has faced extreme climate changes, a significant threat resulting in various economic and social issues. Awareness from the individual to the global level is required to cope with climatic problems. This will lead to a mutual policy structure that will benefit Pakistan in dealing with climate issues.

Let’s discuss the reasons behind climatic changes in Pakistan in detail.

Behind The Climate Change

Climatic changes are due to natural changes, but in recent years with extreme development in the field of science, many human activities have also been seen as a significant cause for bringing climatic changes into action.

• Pakistan is an agricultural country, and Agriculture is the primary profession of Pakistani people. In other words, Pakistani people are linked directly or indirectly with agriculture for their livelihood. Pakistan needs to catch up in utilizing modern agricultural techniques and farming practices. So, traditional methods and techniques are standard in Pakistan, including overuse of water, wrong choice of fertilizers, improper handling of crops, and false harvesting techniques. All of these things result in lowering soil quality (reducing carbon in soil), which increases the greenhouse gases resulting in climate changes in Pakistan.
• As cities have modern facilities, Pakistanis are shifting their interest towards cities, leading to a vast crowdy look at cities, creating a sense of urbanization. As urbanization increases, modern transport also increases, which uses fuel and pollutes the environment through air pollution. So, this shifting of human interest is also creating a significant hurdle toward a clean and green environment, thus leading to climate change. 
• According to the Wood Supply and Demand Survey, wood consumption in Pakistan is expected to increase to 58 million m³ by 2018. This means the places where forests were present are now being disturbed to meet the wood needs of the country, leading to a situation like deforestation. 
• With the human tilt towards cities, the cities are expanding, and forests are being cut to make the land available for various housing schemes. 
• The primary reason behind climate change in Pakistan is replacing natural things with artificial things. Humanity has gone far ahead in development that they have developed various machines to cope with the adverse effect of the environment. For Example, Air conditioning is popularly used to cope with the extreme summers, so due to this artificial development, men pay less attention to maintaining the natural atmosphere. This is human negligence as the natural environment, or climate, has an overall impact; even though man thinks that forests are just a source of rain, the reality lies in the fact that forests are responsible for our economy, water availability, power generation, and many more to discuss.

Pakistan After The Climate Change

• Water scarcity is a leading impact of climate change in Pakistan. After independence, Pakistan had almost 5000 cubic meters of water per capita, but now this is only limited to 950 cubic meters approximately. This decline in water availability is a serious threat to Pakistan.

• Floods are also widespread in Pakistan because glaciers are melting daily, and Pakistan has no space for storing such water, and floods lead to destruction. Air can hold 6% more water when the temperature rises to one degree Celsius. Due to climate change, the air cools, allowing the water vapours to form droplets and cause rain. This excess rain leads to floods because Pakistan cannot store such water due to a lack of dam availability.
• Droughts or lack of rainfall is the opposite impact, but it is also the main effect faced by the Pakistanis due to climate change. As Pakistan has no forest, this leads to a situation where the country experiences few rainfalls. This leads to a high temperature and lack of water, creating a situation similar to the one experienced by people living in deserts.
• Heatwaves usually increase with the increase in the number of greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change in Pakistan is increasing the chances of heat waves as there are fewer sources to keep human beings safe from heat waves’ effects.
• It is commonly experienced in the regions of Pakistan that the night temperature is also becoming hot along with the day temperature, which is also causing a severe threat to animals. The animals living in the central-eastern region of Pakistan previously had a habit of enjoying a calm atmosphere at night. Unfortunately, with the climate changes, the night temperature has also gone so high that it has become challenging for animals to survive.
• There is no doubt that plants need daylight for their growth, but due to high temperatures, plant growth is retarded. Plants are a significant food source in Pakistan. With retardation in their development, human health and other associated things are at greater risk of getting affected by extreme weather conditions due to climate change.

• Health impacts are also significant in this regard. Heat stroke is a major issue found in people experiencing climate change. Heat stroke is a disease in which the body temperature goes out of control and can even rise to 105°F, failing the sweating mechanism and disturbing the human body to a great extent.

Government Approach Towards Climate Change In Pakistan

Pakistan has started many vital initiatives to cope with climate issues, but climate change has never been the centre of attention for government officials. Now, a good trend has been set with the hope of multiplying further to get beneficial and better results.

• The Government of Pakistan has initiated planting trees on Independence Day and other official events.
• They have also started a Billion Tree Tsunami campaign to encourage all Pakistanis to save their environment by planting trees for themselves and the future generation.
• The Social Media advertisement campaign also positively impacts young minds by encouraging them to participate in this noble cause.

Pakistan’s government must keep a strict check and balance on this program, which must be their foremost priority.  

Possible Solutions For Climate Change In Pakistan

• The first and most crucial suggestion is to shift our attention toward renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources are environmentally friendly and emit comparatively fewer greenhouse gases, easing the way for our environment.
• There must be a proper drainage or disposal system for people living in mountain areas. They have no way to dispose of it, so they mainly through their waste out in rivers or burn them in the open air, which allows the deposition of black carbon that speeds up the glacier’s melting.
• Pakistan has a diverse climate, so changes must be made by considering each area’s diversity. For Example, the policies for Chitral and Punjab must be different as both areas experience different climatic conditions.
• We must have a perception about the incoming disasters, but unfortunately, we- the Pakistanis react when the disaster has played its game. So, early and appropriate action is also required to make Pakistan a green and clean country.
• Dams’ construction is also an excellent way to store all the excess water. We can use it for various beneficial purposes, but we must build a national consensus.

So, shortly climate change is one of the rising problems in Pakistan, and this issue needs to be addressed as early and effectively as possible. To a greater extent, our existence is based upon our present struggle to cope with the current situation.