Badar Khalid
Climate change is a reality that is gripping Pakistan by the day, whether it is in increasingly short periods of winter or severe changes in weather patterns. The impacts of global warming are increasing in intensity and quantity, yet it is apparent that Pakistan is far from being ready to address the problems.
Azaad English spoke with a renowned environmental lawyer and activist, Ahmad Rafay Alam, to discuss the impacts of climate change and possible policy measures to address those concerns.
We asked Rafay whether Pakistan is experiencing far more global warming impacts than other regions in the world. Rafay replied: “Climate change is a global phenomenon. It affects every country, and shortened winters are just one manifestation of climate change. This year, for example, Florida experienced its most intense snowfall, which is not normal.”
Referencing the short period of winters in Pakistan, Rafay remarked: “In 2022, we experienced early summers as we faced a heat wave in March, and Punjab faced acute water shortage for 2 weeks. It should be stressed that this happened in March; however, this year, we’re facing the increased temperatures in January, so God knows what will happen this time.”
Climate Change: Water Emergency
It must be highlighted that earlier this week, Rawalpindi’s administration imposed a “water emergency” in the city, citing low rainfall and falling water levels in the Rawal and Khanpur dams.
Expanding on this topic, Rafay added: “WMO reported that 2024 was the warmest year we’ve experienced yet. Rawalpindi region experienced very little rainfall as compared to previous years. Couple that with rapid urbanization and increasing population in the district, the water shortage was bound to happen.”
“Take a look at huge houses, and the water consumption people generally have, i.e., upkeep of huge gardens and lawns.”
The dramatic changes in weather patterns pose considerable dangers to the sustainability of agriculture, particularly in Pakistan.
The activist stated: “The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh has already issued a warning of drought-like conditions in 19 districts in the province. Similarly, Karachi also faces the risk of drought due to low rainfall. And just like Punjab in 2022, if this pattern continues, then we are looking at not only an agriculture crisis but possible food shortages in the country.”
“Apart from the possible food shortages, farmers’ livelihood would be destroyed given that more than 50% of our labour is employed in agriculture,” he added.
We asked Rafay whether there were any steps the government could take to slow down or reverse the effects of climate change in the country, to which he replied: “We have passed the stage of reversing climate change. The climate has changed, and it is changing continuously. The countries, particularly the biggest GHG emissions-producing countries, failed to implement the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. We are currently living with a full year exceeding the 1.5°C temperature increase for the first time last year.”
The Paris Agreement in 2015 is an agreement in which nearly 200 countries agreed to adopt a series of policy measures in order to avoid the dangerous consequences of rising temperatures.
In 2015, world leaders pledged to prevent the rise in global temperature by more than 1.5C by reducing greenhouse gases that humans put into the atmosphere.
“Pakistan is a small country, and there is very little we can do to make an impact when the world’s richest countries aren’t making serious efforts to address global warming. Imagine there was a bomb ticking, and we were 2-3 miles away from it. Now, that bomb has gone off, and we are going to feel its effects one way or another,” warned Rafay.
Climate Change: Policy Measures
We asked Rafay whether there were any measures that common people can take to tackle the worsening global warming, to which he replied: “Look, in my opinion, as far as the climate crisis is concerned, individuals can do nothing when an international company like ARAMCO has a net income more than $100 billion producing and selling oil. The situation has gone past individual efforts.”
We also asked Rafay about potential policy measures that the government of Pakistan should take to reverse the effects of climate change.
“Pakistan’s climate change is directly concerned with governance problem. We have a governance crisis because our lawmakers, who are supposed to be drafting legislation and policy measures aimed at addressing climate change, are running for their lives. Whether they’re going to courts to face corruption cases or running away from police raids,” replied the environmental lawyer.
“That is why we cannot see any serious implementation of any policies that would address global warming effects in Pakistan,” he concluded.
