LAHORE:Climate change is no longer a distant threat—it is an established reality and its far-reaching impacts on water resources, forests, agriculture, public health, and biodiversity are visibly reshaping the socioeconomic landscape across the globe and within Pakistan.
Data and reports from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) revealed that the Asian monsoon system was undergoing severe alterations due to global warming.In Pakistan, more than 70% of High Impact Weather events—such as torrential downpours and sudden flash floods—were directly tied to the altered monsoon pattern.
PMD data highlighted a significant spatial shift in monsoonal precipitation and more than 30 districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were witnessing the westward shift of monsoonal rainfall leaving them exceptionally vulnerable to riverine and flash flooding.
The data also showed that the annual precipitation during January and February was steadily declining, whereas rainfall in March, April, May, June, July, and August showed an upward trend. Conversely, rainfall throughout September, October, November and December was dropping.
PMD data predicted that rainfall in January, February and March will decrease further, while precipitation in April and May will rise. Summers will see a drop in rainfall during June, July, and August, followed by a slight increase in rainfall across September, October, November, and December.
Another impact of climate change was expanding summers and shrinking winters, environmental experts said, adding the country’s seasonal boundaries were undergoing dramatic shifts.
Naseem Shah, a retired officer of EPD and an environmental policy making expert, said for the past many years we have been witnessing that the summer season is expanding at a rate of 1 day per year. ‘Over the past 20 years, summer has lengthened by nearly 1 month (approx. 30 days) on both ends. Summer now arrives as early as end of March and stretches into late October—a stark contrast to its historical duration from May to August,’ he stated.
He further said similarly the winter season was shrinking at a rate of 0.5 days per year, having contracted by a total of 5 days from both ends so far. ‘Winter now begins in late November and wraps up by the end of January, whereas it historically spanned from mid-October to mid-February,’ he maintained.
‘Wet spells have become wetter and will become wettest, while dry spells have become drier and will become driest,’ Naseem predicted.Talking about key causes and actionable mitigation, he said local factors exacerbating these climatic shifts included widespread deforestation, rising pollution levels, rapid land-use changes, uncontrolled urbanisation and unplanned industrialisation.
The ripple effects of these changing weather patterns directly threaten agricultural sowing and harvesting cycles, seasonal water security, public health (including surges in dengue, malaria, and pollen allergies), infrastructure, and tourism.
To mitigate these adverse impacts, many other environmental and agricultural experts emphasised the government for carrying out massive tree plantation drives to restore microclimates and soil stability.
They also demanded a proper urban planning to counter heat-island effects and drainage failures and asked for introducing resilient flood management systems to protect vulnerable districts. They further called for expanding water storage capacity across the country to buffer against prolonged droughts and erratic seasonal shifts.
