US President Joe Biden maintains “Let’s face reality. The climate crisis doesn’t care if you’re in a red or blue state. It’s an existential threat,” Presently, due to climate change the stability of nature is in jeopardy. Against this backdrop, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres argues that the record-shattering temperature of July 2023 shows that Earth has passed from a warming phase into an “era of global boiling.” He reiterates, “The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable.
Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy. No more excuses. No more waiting for others to move first. Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”
Scientists warned that the rise of 1.5C temperature of July 2023 could cause floods and heat waves around the world. It is a caution for third-world states like Pakistan where there is no existence of true natural disaster management. The Pakistani government has realized this fact but action still needs to be taken. Former Climate Change Minster of Pakistan Sherry Rehman opines that Pakistan is a forefront country facing climate change effects which are causing drought and floods.
The summer seasonal air across South Asia is a source of heavy monsoon that can cause up to three-quarters of Pakistan’s annual rainfall resulting in frequent flooding across the country. In the summer of 2022, record-breaking rainfall caused a humanitarian crisis across the country. In June-August 2022, Pakistan faced nearly 190% more rain than its 30-year average. Consequently, the Southern Sindh and Balochistan were worst affected and received ‘726% and 590%’ more of their normal August rainfall, respectively. Pakistan still has not come out of the losses inflicted by the 2022 floods in which more than 10 million people were affected and they are still deprived of necessities of life.
Pakistan is a forefront country facing climate change effects which are causing drought and floods.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Pakistan, 20.6 million people, including 9.6 million children, need humanitarian assistance. Children are hungry and fighting a battle against acute malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, dengue fever, typhoid, acute respiratory infections, and painful skin conditions with greater risk of mental health. A study has found that catastrophic floods of 2022 in Pakistan have imposed more than $30 billion in damages and economic losses. As per a UN Food and Agriculture Organization August 29, 2022 report, nearly 80 per cent of crops in Sindh, which harvests roughly 30 per cent of Pakistan’s total cotton output, were destroyed. Ostensibly, huge aid and support are required to ensure the rehabilitation of families who were displaced by floods. Though local bodies, NGOs, UNICEF and Western states have helped to fulfil the humanitarian needs by rehabilitating and restoring the existing facilities for the families who returned home, the issue is not resolved completely and the threat of revival of climate change issues is again at doorstep. The recent monsoon wave in the country has proven drastic as many cities are on the verge of urban flooding. Heavy seasonal rains pounded Pakistan’s Punjab province by flooding roads in Lahore city and these monsoon rains crushed a 30-year-old rain record in Lahore. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), heavy monsoon rains persisted from 25 June to 30 July resulting in 179 individuals losing their lives, 264 people sustaining injuries, 1,594 houses damaged, and the loss of 480 livestock across Pakistan.
Between 25 and 30 July, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province experienced severe devastation due to heavy monsoon rains and flash floods. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), KP reported 16 fatalities and 17 Injuries, 126 livestock perished, and 228 houses were damaged. According to PDMA Balochistan, heavy rains and flash floods in Balochistan resulted in five deaths, four injuries, 131 damaged houses, and 315 houses partially damaged. The districts most affected by these weather conditions were Washuk and Kharan.
This has severely affected the agriculture sector which makes up nearly a fourth of Pakistan’s Gross Domestic Product GDP. Currently, areas near the Sutlej River face overflowing water and many districts Bahawalpur and Kasur are flooded. According to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority about 480 villages in Punjab experienced flooding so far in August and still the areas are not out of danger.
This flood is caused by excessive water released by India and mismanagement by local authorities. Pakistan must understand that climate change is beyond its control and neighbouring states can use this nontraditional threat again in future. So remedies must be taken now to stop foreseen losses in the country. Balochistan is also affected by floods and the major reason behind that is illegal encroachments and lack of dams. The government should think seriously about rebuilding the damaged dams and remove all the illegal constructions that halt the natural way of water making it to cause flood.
$30 billion in economic losses in Pakistan inflicted by climate change in 2022 validate that climate change is an existential threat and a bigger threat than the so-called imaginary conventional threats. Arguably, for Pakistan climate change would be a bigger threat than India in the foreseeable future resulting in economic losses, damaging infrastructure, reducing exports, causing mental and cultural damage, increasing poverty and joblessness.
The writer is a Ph.D. scholar and can be reached at [email protected]