Climate Change
Pakistan is among the nations most impacted by global warming.
Its varied topography, which includes hilly, coastal, and desert
regions presents various issues due to climate change in each of
these places. Due to its heavy reliance on agriculture, the nation's
economy is susceptible to fluctuations in monsoon patterns,
temperature swings, and water scarcity, all of which can affect
food security. Pakistan has seen several weather-related
incidents that have caused fatalities as well as large financial
losses. The likelihood of natural disasters such heat waves,
droughts, floods, earthquakes, and rising sea levels has
increased due to climate change. Particularly frequent issues
have been floods, which have seriously harmed people's lives,
the economy, infrastructure, and agriculture. The most vulnerable
groups are those that are poor and marginalized because they
have less access to essential services and endure greater
damage from floods.
Climate change has affected Pakistani floods in a number of
ways. Increased extreme weather occurrences, such as torrential
downpours and monsoon rains, which increase flooding, are a
result of climate change. Glacier bursts and flash floods are
becoming more likely due to the quicker melting of glaciers
brought on by rising temperatures. In addition, variations in
monsoon seasons and rainfall patterns have an impact on the
frequency and severity of floods in various parts of Pakistan.
These floods have terrible effects: they kill people, destroy
infrastructure, harm agriculture, and uproot communities,
especially those who reside in underdeveloped areas with little
access to resources and essential services. In Pakistan, it's
anticipated that floods will become more frequent.
In Pakistan, droughts have a variety of effects. Because of climate
change and excessive use of water resources, they happen more
frequently, linger longer, and are more severe. The most frequent
natural disaster in Pakistan is drought, which has struck three
times in the past ten years. Food insecurity, starvation, and
population displacement are caused by droughts. They have a
negative impact on agriculture as well, decreasing agricultural
yields and killing livestock. A severe drought in the Thar Desert
has caused starvation, which has resulted in deaths and disease,
especially among infants. Animals are negatively impacted by
droughts as well since they are deprived of food and water.
Droughts in Pakistan can also cause urban water shortages,
which can impact the supply of drinking water. Agricultural
practices are negatively impacted by heatwaves' high
temperatures. The health of people, animals, and crops are all
negatively impacted. Heatwaves cause the land to become drier,
which is bad for Pakistan because the nation is primarily
dependent on agriculture for its income.
Heatwaves can jeopardize food security and safety. Crops begin
to rot in certain places, while harvesting occurs sooner in other
places.
The loss of land in coastal areas is one of the effects of sea level
rise in Pakistan. As the sea level rises, many coastal villages like
Soomar and Keti Bundar are sinking and experiencing land
erosion. The residents of these areas have been forced to
relocate because of this. The livelihoods of coastal communities
that depend on fishing as their primary source of income have
also been impacted by the loss of land. The difficulties these
communities face have been made worse by overfishing and the
decline in fish populations. To save endangered fish species, the
government has imposed fishing bans in certain areas of the sea.
In Pakistan, earthquakes can have disastrous effects. Buildings,
infrastructure, human lives, crops, and other things are destroyed
because of them. The 2005 earthquake that struck Kashmir and
KPK claimed a great deal of lives, destroyed homes, and cost
money. Climate change and unfavorable weather are the primary
causes of earthquakes. Every ten years, there are three to four
earthquakes in Pakistan, mostly in hilly areas like Kashmir, Gilgit
Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Baluchistan.
The effects of land pollution in Pakistan are addressed on page 4
of the document. Waste from homes, businesses, and hospitals is
the main cause of it. Animals and people are both negatively
impacted by land pollution. Large cities like Hyderabad, Multan,
Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Karachi, and Lahore affect people more
than others. Both humans and animals may suffer health
problems because of land pollution. Implementing strategies like
tree planting and appropriate waste management can help reduce
land pollution.
Pakistani water pollution affects aquatic life and human health in a
number of ways. Clean water bodies become contaminated and
become dirty when waste from factories, hospitals, and sewage
systems gets into them. People's health is negatively impacted by
this water pollution, which can result in illnesses like diarrhea,
dysentery, and cholera. Furthermore, water pollution has a
negative impact on aquatic life. Water body contamination affects
aquatic life's quality and may cause some fish species to go
extinct.
The environment and human health are both impacted in different
ways by air pollution. Inhaling air pollution can cause lung cancer,
asthma, and other respiratory disorders in addition to other health
problems. Furthermore, smog and acid rain are formed in part by
air pollution, both of which worsen the environment. There are
several effects of noise pollution on mental and physical health. In
addition to cardiovascular problems, it can cause stress, anxiety,
sleep disturbances, and hearing problems. Furthermore,
excessive noise can impair productivity, focus, and
communication.
There are multiple effects of climate change on temperature and
wildlife. Climate change-related rising temperatures have the
potential to upset ecosystems and harm wildlife. Temperature
variations can affect a variety of species' behavior, migration
patterns, and reproductive cycles. For instance, certain animals
might find it difficult to adjust to rising temperatures, which would
cause a population decrease. The availability of food and water
sources for wildlife can also be impacted by climate change,
which could have a negative effect on their survival. Moreover,
increased frequency and intensity of heat waves are another
effect of climate change that can directly harm wildlife. Heat
waves in animals that are not acclimated to such harsh conditions
can result in heat stress, dehydration, and even death. It is
predicted that global average temperatures will rise by 4 to 12
degrees Fahrenheit. Rising sea levels, altered weather patterns,
and the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers are just a few of the
potential effects of this temperature increase.
The largest change in the land carbon cycle is probably going to
be caused by carbon dioxide from climate change. An extended
growing season and higher humidity levels brought on by rising
temperatures may have an impact on plant growth. The
environment may be impacted by these modifications to the
carbon cycle in both positive and negative ways.
The more climate change causes Earth to warm, the worse things
get for people. Heat waves, which are brought on by rising
temperatures, can have a negative impact on people's health and
even result in fatalities from heat-related illnesses. Climate
change can also set off a domino effect of other environmental
changes that impact plants, animals, weather patterns, wildlife,
the ocean, snow and ice, and so on. In general, because it
disturbs their habitats, modifies their natural behaviors, and
exposes them to more extreme temperatures, climate change
presents serious challenges for wildlife.
Human health is impacted by climate change. In addition to
predicting how the climate will change globally, the report verifies
that climate change is already occurring. Freshwater resources,
food supplies, and the frequency of extreme weather events like
floods and droughts will all be significantly impacted by climate
change. These are the principal worries about how climate
change is affecting people's health.
Global average temperatures are rising in response to shifting
weather patterns brought on by climate change. Storms and heat
waves are examples of extreme weather events that may become
more common and powerful as a result. Long-term alterations in
the climate may have a number of direct and indirect effects on
society, the transmission of illnesses, and the capacity to grow
crops.
It is stated that Pakistan has improved its water supply; 91
percent of the population now has access to clean water,
demonstrating progress in the areas of sanitation, hygiene, and
water. Still, 70% of people drink contaminated water, which
contributes to the rise in illnesses brought on by bacteria in the
water. The problems with water supply are made worse by
climate change because less rain and drought mean less water is
available, which leads to more pollution. Floods and heavy rains
are two factors that lead to more contamination in groundwater
supplies. High temperatures also encourage the growth of
microorganisms. Increasing sea levels and saltwater intrusion
have a special effect on coastal areas, affecting infrastructure,
agriculture, and water supplies.
Climate change has a negative impact on food security in terms of
malnutrition, especially in places where food is already scarce.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC), malnutrition-related infant mortality will rise as a result of
climate change, as will inadequate food intake. Pakistani rural
children already face difficulties due to high anemia rates and
vitamin D and A deficits. Since less food is available due to
climate change, efforts to meet global nutrition targets are further
hampered. Malnutrition varies by region in Pakistan, with rural
households being particularly susceptible. Alterations in
meteorological trends have an adverse effect on staple crops as
well, resulting in chronic malnourishment.
In Pakistan, the causes and consequences of climate change are
examined. Back-to-back floods since 2010, droughts in
Tharparkar and Cholistan, extreme heat waves in Karachi in
2015, windstorms in Islamabad in 2016, cyclonic activity, and land
sliding are among the primary causes mentioned. The nation has
been significantly impacted by these events.
Unpredictable monsoons, risks to water flows into the Indus River
System, stress on the agriculture sector due to water scarcity,
shrinking forest cover, and rising salt levels in water that are
harmful to fish breeding are just a few of the effects of climate
change in Pakistan that are discussed on this page. These
consequences draw attention to the nation's problems with water
resources and agricultural productivity.
