PAKISTAN earlier this year hosted the World Environment Day in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme as part of efforts to raise awareness and tackle the problem of climate change. This year the theme was Ecosystem Restoration, and it marked the launch of the UN Decade of Restoration. During the event, Pakistan urged the developed nations to come forward and help the most vulnerable nations by establishing a Green Fund.

Currently, climate change is a major existential threat to humanity, accelerated by massive carbon emissions, fossil fuels, deforestation and greenhouse gases, leading to global warming, which, in turn, causes melting glaciers, rising sea levels, changing rain patterns, droughts, flooding and frequent heatwaves. All this threatens food security.

The worst part is that these impacts are only getting worse.

Pakistan is already on the list of the 10 most affected nations by climate change in spite of its negligible contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. The recent Long-term Global Climate Risk Index 2020 rated Pakistan as the fifth most affected country due to adverse impacts of climate change.

According to the report, Pakistan lost 9,989 lives, suffered economic losses worth $3.8 billion and witnessed 152 extreme weather events from 1999 to 2018, and, based on this data, the report concluded that Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change is increasing.

These winters, Pakistan received less rainfall compared to the corresponding months of the last year. Currently, Pakistan is also facing severe water shortage that is going to be worse in the coming years.

It would be a mistake to expect foreign donors to come to our rescue unless we, as a nation, appear to be taking the crisis seriously and are ready to self-correct what we can.

Pakistan needs a multi-tiered approach with short-term, medium-term and long-term steps to tackle the mounting climate change problems.

The northern areas of Pakistan have suffered severe deforestation due to lack of access to natural gas, electricity and job opportunities. The government, under the umbrella of the Billion Tree Tsunami project, should undertake urgent reforestation projects on mountain slopes and engage local communities in the effort.

According to statistical data, fossil fuels constitute 64 per cent of total energy production in Pakistan and less than 35pc comes from renewable energy. If the government plans to increase the share of renewable energy to 60pc by 2030, it needs to ramp up the efforts to materialise the plan.

Since tourism is gaining momentum in the country and scores of tourists are visiting the northern areas, including foreigners, sustainable tourism is the need of the hour. The government should devise and deploy a proper strategy to ensure sustainable tourism, otherwise current practices of illegal constructions, poor waste disposal and sewerage system, and deforestation pose major threat to the environment.

Moreover, it should take a proactive approach of preparedness and farsightedness through institutional building and deployment of the latest technology.

The global powers, which are also the major polluters, need to walk the talk, and take full responsibility in leading the world towards an eco-friendly future.

Hamza Razaq Marwat
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2021