Climate change is long-term alteration of the weather conditions, pattern and natural environment. Climate change occurs because of imbalance in the energy of Earth system. We mean by energy here is heat energy. Science illustrates that imbalance in energy of Earth system takes place due to natural as well as manmade changes like variations in Sun’s energy reaching to Earth, alterations in the reflectivity of Earth’s atmosphere and surface and variations in greenhouse effect. The earlier two facts are generally regarded as natural changes, however later is mainly a manmade change.
Research findings of several reputed agencies related to environment and climate change like Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USA and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) show that natural changes did not alter the climate much for hundreds of thousands of years. However, manmade changes altered climate at a very high pace within two centuries since industrial revolution.
Human beings have altered the greenhouse effect, which is a blessing in disguise. The greenhouse effect is the process of warming of earth by Sun’s heat. Without greenhouse effect, temperature of earth will fall to minus eighteen degrees Celsius (-18 °C). Indeed, no human beings would have exited without the greenhouse effect. In natural greenhouse effect, some of the heat is trapped by the Earth and remaining is returned. However, in altered greenhouse effect more heat is trapped then required, which is because of increase in concentrations of human generated gases like carbon dioxide (CO2),methane (CH4) which occurs naturally but leaked to environment by human beings, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Nitrous oxide (N2O). These gases are also known as greenhouse gases. This energy adds on the average surface temperature, which is increasing around 0.2 degrees Celsius (°C) per decade due to past and ongoing emissions, as reports of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) depict.
The climate change is universal, it cannot be limited or managed in boundaries. However, affects vary from region to region depending upon the geography. German watch, which is a globally trusted non-profit organization reported in “Global Climate Risk Index 2018” that Pakistan ranked 7th in countries most affected by extreme weather events from 1997 to 2016. Whereas Honduras (a country in central America) topped the list followed by Haiti. Report further elucidates that average annual death count for Pakistan was 523 from year 1997 to 2016, whereas deaths in Myanmar were as highest as 7098 per year. Apart from human losses, countries suffered huge financial losses. For instance, Pakistan faced cumulative losses of worth 3,816.82 million US dollars Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) per year from 1997 to 2016.Similarly, countries with higher long-term Climate Risk Index (CRI) have lost more than Pakistan.
International agencies and countries from worldwide have been taking efforts to reduce the climate change. Several agreements have been signed on climate change mitigation and two of the famous agreements under UNFCCC are Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. Under these two agreements most of the nations have shown commitment for mitigation of climate change and adaptation. Pakistan’s efforts in this regard by plantation is also commendable, however putting up coal-fired power plants is a concern in the same time. In general, we must appreciate efforts of governments and international agencies for playing their role against climate change.
At national level, as individuals or as a society we must develop resilient societies through systems and infrastructures, which if exposed to hazard must resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner
Studies show that even if all actions are taken as per agreements against diminishing of man made gases, specially CO2 for reducing climate change, the average temperature rise still would be around 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Recently, IPCC published “special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty” which was based on 6000 studies. Report highlights that several climate change incidents like record-breaking storms, forest fires, droughts, coral bleaching, heat waves, and floods occurred around the world which took thousands of lives and encountered losses of billions of dollars when temperature rise was only 1 degree Celsius. It is understandable that consequences on 1.5 degrees rise shall be unbearable and worse than ever before.
In recent past, Pakistan has seen severe heat waves, specially the Karachiites. As summer gets closer, the temperatures touch the skies. Here is, how can we adopt to warm weathers and contribute to the mitigation of financial and human losses. First thing first, we do our capacity building, the process by which we must systematically stimulate and develop strategies over time to avoid extreme weather conditions, rehabilitate physically and economically and socialize to benefit the society through improvement of knowledge, skills, systems, institutions and engagement. One of the examples of capacity building is making houses green by plantation and growing vegetables in lawn, galleries and rooftops.
We must also develop coping strategies, which involve managing resources, both in normal times as well as during crises or adverse conditions. For example, we should optimize our daily needs and routines by managing activities like eating, sleeping, entertainment, clothing and everything that either we use or put around us for comfort like air conditioning etc.
A very few know about the climate change and its adaptation, writing in newspapers, blogs and conducting seminars, conferences and community engagement events can help in the cause.
At national level, as individuals or as a society we must develop resilient societies through systems and infrastructures, which if exposed to hazard must resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner. We also should focus on sustainable development where we must not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, which is their fundamental right. Summers are hot and global warming worsens them. Summer is coming, let’s get ready for it.
The writer is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director for Quality Enhancement Cell at Dawood University of Engineering and Technology Karachi, Pakistan