Climate Change has shaken the world, including Pakistan. The melting ice mountains in Greenland, Heatwaves and cold waves in Germany, massive unseasonal rainfalls in Japan, temperature rise in the USA, and storm surges in the Philippines are prime examples. So, is Pakistan ready to prevent climate change? With this massive hit of monsoon rains and floods since June 2022, we can’t say that Pakistan was ever ready for the crises of our time.
Around 1,545 lives have been lost, and more than 568,817 houses have been destroyed by this deadly urban flood. This crisis is part of climate change which people were ignoring until it started shaking things up. In recent times, Pakistan had a major blow regarding governmental control and the economy. And then, these monsoon rains and floods wasted almost 40 billion of the agricultural support in Pakistan. Now, one-third of this country is underwater, and there has got to be a way out to save it and bring back greenery and livelihood.
What is Climate Change?
In simple terms, the climate is the after-effect of the high use of carbon dioxide in our world, as it has been present in the atmosphere for thousands of years. However, after the industrial revolutions, CO2 is increasing, and it is warming the earth’s temperature. According to the United Nations, it is fine that the temperature has been increased by 1.5. But the intensive flow of CO2 has caused monsoon rains, storms, weather changes, and urban floods. While talking about the danger of climate change, António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressed:
“Natural disasters becoming more and more intense, more frequent with devastating consequences. The dramatic impacts of droughts in different parts of the world, all of this is creating a situation that is a real threat to humankind. And we are not doing enough.”
To prevent future disasters due to climate change, in 2016, the world’s leaders signed the Paris Agreement. Similarly, they aimed to control the temperature by under 2 percent till 2100. However, after six years, the temperature is not stopping and has reached the 1.5 mark. On that account, the lead author of United Nations, John Christensen addressed the situation in 2019
“CO2 emissions have been going up the last year by two percent, so that’s actually above the average of the last ten years. So it has started to increase again, and it doesn’t look too good.”
Major Reasons for Climate Change
Industrial Revolution
Since the start of the industrial revolution in the 18s, the world hasn’t become the same. We can’t deny that it has helped humans to grow and make their lives easy. But the high ratio of harmful chemicals in the atmosphere and gallons of wasted material is causing a negative effect on the earth. Nowadays, countries that signed the Paris Agreement are not in the mood to slow down their industrial wastage.
Burning of Fossil Fuel
The main reason we are facing deadly climate change is the high flow of carbon dioxide. Thus, the burning of fossil fuels, for instance, Coal and oil, releases CO2, and that’s not a good sign for our environment.
Over-Population
The global population has tripled in 70 years, and it requires more food, work, and other resources. Therefore, the global population has to be under control for the betterment of our land.
Methane Pollution
According to the reports from Al Jazeera, with the rapid growth in population, we are using more animals for food. And that releases methane pollutants. That’s why to prevent damage to the structure of this world’s agricultural resources; it is essential to use the needed amount of animal meat and other uses.
Impact of Climate Change in Pakistan
If you remember it or not, the country, which is blessed with all-natural resources, faced urban flooding in 2010, when almost 2000 people were killed. However, in recent times, Pakistan has been fighting against something even bigger than the 2010 floods. The monsoon rain started in June 2022, and now Pakistan is losing its agricultural resources from all the provinces.
In Sindh, more than 600 people have been killed. Similarly, in Balochistan and Punjab, there has been a high alert since August 2022. Moreover, Pakistan is on the verge of seeking help from International organizations. Local NGOs are also actively involved in rescuing the flood victims. In the future, natural crises such as Heatwave, earthquakes, and storms can also damage the country. Therefore, there is an immense need for awareness along with an action plan.
How to Address Climate Change in Pakistan?
Social Campaigns
In Pakistan, youth social campaigning programs are quite famous, where university and college students learn how to help the communities, plus bring peace and livelihood. Most social organization offer fellowships to students in order to do social work. Moreover, these foundations also visit rural areas and execute sessions of awareness in people. So, through these campaigns, we can manage to create awareness plus multiple action plans.
Social Media Trends
Trends in social media can be part of campaigns, and for the welfare of society, we can spread the trends on social media, which will highlight the causes of climate change and encourage the youth to get along to curb the effects.
Billboards on Wheels
Charts, graffiti, and billboards on cars, buses, and rickshaws are quite normal in Pakistan. Therefore, for the betterment of our country, we can add massages on the back of the vehicles to promote our cause all over the country. Likewise, the rickshaw campaign by (SSDO) in Rawalpindi created awareness about trafficking issues. In the same way, the Peace Rickshaws promote equality and brotherhood in the rural areas of Pakistan.
Broadcasting Adds with the Support of the Government
After these surprising and deadly floods, our government can run a campaign just like Covid-19 to spread awareness about climate change and advise the people to control the usage of carbon and oil, which causes air pollution. Moreover, after this massive attack on the people of Pakistan, the government has to do something positive to put a stop to these natural disasters.
To Sum It Up
As per the reports from international organizations, coastal cities around the world have more chances of getting underwater in the upcoming 80 years if we won’t do something to control the temperature. This means cities such as Miami, Vince, New Orleans, Auckland, Dublin, Osaka, and Karachi are the first areas that will submerge underwater. Therefore, for the safety of the homeland, we have to get together and spread awareness about climate change, as the rest of the world is doing the same.
