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Climate change in Pakistan
09-07-2025 Pakistan Affairs
Pakistan is ranked number 5th in the countries affected by extreme weather caused by climate change even thought Pakistan's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are less than 1% of the world total. Pakistan faces severe issues due to climate change such as heatwaves, droughts, river and flash floods, landslides, and storms, including cyclones.
Effects of Climate Change
Rising Temperatures
- Pakistan faces extreme rising temperatures due to overall global warming. Certain cities even report temparatures over 50°C. These conditions cause heatstroke, dehydration, and even death, especially among the elderly and laborers.
- The rising temperature also leads to the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush. This leads to water shortages in glaciers, flooding rivers, and rising of sea levels which effect coastal areas.
Floods
The catastrophic floods have claimed the lives of more than 1,100 and in total 33 million people have been affected. The devastating 2022 floods were in part driven by glaciers melting. Major Floods:
- 2010 floods
- 2022 floods These floods combined with erratic rainfalls and droughs cause the loss of agricultural yield and poverty in rural areas.
Agriculture Loss and Food Security
High temperatures damages crops like wheat, cotton, and rice and causes the soil to lose its moisture more quickly which reduced overall crop yield. Livestock are also stressed due to increasing temperatures causing heatstrokes and death of cattle.
Migration
This loss of land and agriculture has resulted in the migration of over 1 million people from these districts to urban centers like Karachi. Current migration patterns included 700,000 people a year moving from rural to urban environments. Larger estimates, including major displacements because of extreme weather, suggest as many as 20 million migrants from rural to urban communities since 2010.
Rising Sea Levels
- Rising sea levels due to glacier melt increase the frequency and severity of tidal flooding in coastal areas like Karachi, Thatta, and Badin.
- Seawater is pushing inland into the Indus Delta, especially in southern Sindh. Saltwater intrusion increases soil salinity, making the land infertile for crops like rice, wheat, and sugarcane. Over 2 million acres of fertile land have been degraded due to seawater intrusion. This had destroyed farmland, and affected freshwater lakes.
Damage to Ecosystem and Biodiversity
Extreme weather conditions, flooding, and sea intrusion also have effects on Pakistan's wildlife ecosystem. This effects cause many wild flora (mangroves) and fauna (fish) to die which leads to a decline in wildlife and an overall loss of biodiversity.
Mind Map
!climate change in pakistan mindmap.excalidraw
Paired with the surging inflation and the ongoing political turbulence in the country, climate change has the potential to create a catastrophic scenario.
Possible Solutions
Reforestation programmes
Northern areas have suffered severe deforestation due to a lack of access to electricity and natural gas. The Billion-tree Tsunami campaign is a good start but needs to be scaled up in the long-term.
Build dams in Thar to store rainwater
Storing rainwater for consumption, agriculture, and livestock will imrpove the living conditions of Sindh and also improve crop yield in the area.
Switch to renewable energy sources.
Pakistan has massive potential for solar energy in Thar and hydropower in the north which can provide clean, cost-effective and uninterrupted energy.
Deploy a proactive approach rather than a reactionary one.
Pakistan and its many authorities and departments usually react to a disaster once it has happened, instead of preparing for it beforehand. The proactive approach of preparedness and foresightedness will save much time, money and lives.
Make climate change a priority in the development and political agenda
Climate change will influence every area of human and economic development and needs to be taken into account at every level.
Related Ideas
References
Climate Change in Pakistan, Wikipedia Climate change triggers widespread Pakistan migration How melting glaciers fueled Pakistan’s fatal floods A few ways to combat climate change in Pakistan