Climate change is the defining issue of our time. Nature is responding to years of neglect, weak government and short-sighted policies with a quiet but strong ‘tit-for-tat’. What was once thought to be a minor environmental problem has now turned into a major threat to the country’s stability. The change is clear even in Islamabad. Summers seem to last longer and are hotter, while winters are not as cold anymore. In general, weather patterns seem to be more unpredictable. Pakistan is one of the countries most at risk from climate change, even though it does not add much to global emissions. Recent studies say that climate change could cause an extra 14.5 million deaths by 2050, mostly in places that are already weak, like South Asia, and that the construction, health and agriculture industries will lose more than $1.5 trillion in economic activity.
This is turning into a big problem for the economy and people’s safety, not just the environment. The floods of 2022 made this very clear. Infrastructure broke down, crops were ruined and millions had to leave their homes. We need proactive governance, investment in infrastructure that can handle climate change and a switch to renewable energy right now.
Naif Khalid
Panjgur
