Climate change has become the paramount concerns of the twenty first century, with drastic impacts affecting every human on Earth in increasingly severe ways. Pakistan, being no different, has been listed as the 7th most vulnerable country affected by climate change. According to experts, Pakistan has faced around 150 unusual weather incidents in the last decade due to climate change, coupled with erratic monsoon rains which have resulted in frequent floods and droughts throughout the country. The melting of the Hindukush-Karakoram –Himalaya glaciers that feed most of the rivers of South Asia, increasing siltation of major dams, rising temperature resulting in heat waves that have killed around 70 people in Karachi this year, water-stressed condition that have created issues for the agricultural sector of the country and increased intrusion of saline water in the Indus Delta are few of the many consequences of climate change Pakistan has been facing these past few years. It is predicted that the over the next 50 years, this situation will worsen and Pakistan will lack supply of fresh water.
Effects of climate change are irrevocable and strict action should be taken to control these effects. The first step to eradicate the problem is to spread awareness of the issue. Also, in 2017 many citizens filed a petition against Environmental Protection Department as there was no action against the choking smog that was affecting the lives of the citizens of Lahore. This resulted in the Lahore high court creating an association for to solve this issue. To solve a problem, it is vital to recognize the issue at hand and discuss it with the concerned authorities. Furthermore, many people have now opted for powering their homes with renewable energy to ensure that they do not add to the problem of climate change. In South Asia, vehicular emissions have contributed most to global warming and it is advised that people now buy fuel-efficient vehicles. Also, it is estimated that if people keep their tires properly inflated, billions of gallons of gases could be saved each year. Most importantly, air transport has been a main cause for pollution and it is now being suggested that people should travel on trains. As mentioned above, the fresh water supply of Pakistan is declining so the citizens of Pakistan need to reduce water waste. Furthermore, it is said that saving water reduces carbon pollution too as there will be less need to pump water from underground.
Tackling climate change involves effort from every individual, everyone should adopt methods to help the environment and a major role should be played by the government and different international and national organizations. The main task for the governments is to set ambitious policies that favor climate-resilient, low-carbon development, energy efficiency and clean renewable energy for all.
It is only through collective effort, we may be able to reverse the drastic effects made by climate change and ensure sustainable living for our future generation.