Climate change, a factor underlying disaster in Pakistan 

Many people think that global warming and climate change are synonyms, but, scientists prefer to use the term “climate change” while unfolding complex shifts that are affecting Earth’s weather.  

Climate change includes rising average temperatures, extreme weather events, shifting wildlife populations and habitats, rising seas and a number of other impacts.

Our planet— from North Pole to South Pole—is warming and due to this gratuitous heat, glaciers are rapidly melting, calving off into the sea, and retreating on land. Warmer air holds more moisture, making monsoon rainfall more intense. Hence, the science linking climate change and monsoons is quite simple. 

In the recent past, scientists have discovered an alarming rate of glacier melting—a process where the ice changes from solid to liquid. The intense change in our ecosystem is not waiting for some far-flung future–the effects are appearing right now as recent years have been unusually warm, causing worldwide concern. 

There have been changes in rainfall patterns, leading to droughts and fires in some areas, while flooding in other areas. 

Pakistan is a climate-vulnerable country, located at a place on the globe that bears the brunt of two major weather systems; one can cause high temperatures and drought, while the other brings monsoon rains. Glaciers in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) regions are gradually melting, creating over 3,000 lakes. 

One-third of Pakistan is under water, following an intense heatwave and a long monsoon that has dumped a record amount of rain. With rivers breaking their banks, flash flooding and glacial lakes bursting, the country is experiencing its worst floods this century. This caused severe disruption, displacement and loss of life.

As per officials, several factors have contributed to the extreme event, which has killed thousands including more than 350 children and displaced some 33 million people. This uncanny encounter was faced by all people in one way or another but is experienced ‘most acutely’ by the underprivileged, the economically marginalized, for whom such crisis is often a key driver of poverty, displacement, hunger, and social unrest.   

The major issue is that Pakistan’s planning is top-down, under the assumption that ‘one size fits all’. Needless to say, but there is a conflict between the urgent and long term. The flood affectees don’t have a roof over their heads and their standing crops have been destroyed. 

In Pakistan, if someone becomes homeless, the government usually says, ‘take RS. 25,000 and rebuild’, but the house will be destroyed again due to flooding as it is located in the same fragile areas. At the heart of it, the country desperately needs adaptation strategies to avoid this level of loss and damage.

The ruling government should enforce rules and make cash reimbursement conditional with living in safe zones. 

According to joint findings by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, Pakistan has accounted for 0.4% of historic emissions, yet is listed as one of the most climate-vulnerable places.

The recent floods are a devastating reminder that the consequences of climate change are intensifying, underscoring the importance of states catching up with their adaptation efforts.  

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan is not the only country in Asia to experience severe flooding. South Korea, Japan, China and Indonesia also witnessed severe flash floods recently.