As climate change remains at its peak, the world is now almost on the verge of falling into the deep and dark well dug by human beings, by disrupting nature and making it vulnerable. This despicable behaviour of humans towards God’s nature is inevitably going to end in lamentable consequences. However, the humans have yet not brought this threat under serious consideration even though we face severe and harsh consequences. The heat-waves, flash floods, Cyclones, and prolonged droughts are now common issues the world is facing.
As far as Pakistan’s climate is concerned, the situation is even worse than it is in other countries. Being a country with an unstable economy, a high rate of illiteracy and inequity, Pakistan is a hotbed of climate-related crises that have put the country on the top of the list of countries harshly affected by climate change. Due to the rapid increase in temperature, the glaciers in the northern areas are rapidly melting down, increasing the threat of floods. The emission of CO2 has harshly affected the vulnerable climate.
Strange weather incidents are damaging agriculture. Hail-storms and heavy rains have thwarted agriculture. One of the top reasons for an unstable economy is the miserable condition of agriculture as it plays a vital role in the country’s economy. This shows that if we don’t take action at once, we will have to pay a huge cost.
Who is to be blamed for this catastrophic situation? The Govt. or the public? I heard from some sources that Indian Capital Delhi is being blamed by incumbent authorities of Pakistan to have produced this smog which has also affected The Punjab Capital. But will that accusation tackle the issue? I am of the view that in lieu of accusing others of our failures, we better increase our efforts regarding the alleviation of climate change crises. One can’t find any major initiative taken by Pakistan in order to reduce climate change crises, nor can one find any efforts from the public. On contrast, Indian cement companies have pledged to reduce carbon emissions by making their factories “Green Factories” which is an initiative to be appreciated. On the other hand, the UK is planning to have fuel/gas-free cars by 2040. Unfortunately, we are still sleeping and by the time we wake up, it would be too late for us. There have been lots of debates and speeches on this issue but those speeches never turned into actual efforts. We must take action in letter and spirit to sort out this issue.
First of all, the basic knowledge of climate must be added in the curriculum of the schools to raise awareness in the upcoming generation. As the illiteracy is a top reason for our failures to coup with climate change, this step is to be taken in true letter and spirit. Secondly, the media is really crucial in this regard and it must increase public awareness about the vulnerability of our climate. Thirdly, the incumbent government which is notorious for making pledges doesn’t seem that much serious about this issue. The PM should take initiatives at once and must introduce tougher curbs on all those actions which are threatening the climate.
The government, however, has put constraints on plastics bags but failed to implement the restriction as they are being sold in various markets in Islamabad and surroundings which shows the negligence of the government towards this issue. Furthermore, the deforestation should be completely banned as lack of trees are contributing well to further worsen the situation. The plan to plant a billion tree in KPK by PM Khan, which is implemented to some extent, is a commendable effort and we expect him to come up with such initiatives in the future too. The renewable energy should replace coal energy which will gradually reduce carbon emission. There should be a proper system for waste materials. We should try to avoid producing a lot of garbage.
If we are committed, we will surely be successful in attaining a pollution-free Pakistan. We mustn’t only rely on the Government to get what we want but better put our efforts combined with the Government to succeed. We will have to inform our societies about the disastrous consequences of climate we will be facing if we continue to destroy nature. We will have to emerge as responsible citizens by performing our duty to clean our societies, institutions, regions which will gradually lead to a clean Pakistan.
As human beings, we deserve a better environment to live in.