THE biggest challenge facing the world today is the climate change. The clock is ticking for us all, yet little has been done in concrete terms to combat the issue. The amount of money and efforts that should have been used to fight climate change has been utilised in making nuclear bombs and weapons of destructions. Every year, trillions of dollars are spent on making these weapons faster and smarter. It is high time we eliminated them and used this money to save humanity.

Climate change impacts us all in different ways. The rising sea levels affect countries that lie along the sea coast, like China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam. Bangladesh may be the hardest-hit due to its small size. Each day, around 2,000 people migrate to Dhaka, the capital, from Chittagong owing to the rising sea level. Maldives may, in fact, be washed away by the sea. Where will these people go?

Ironically, the industrialised nations that contribute heavily to the global carbon footprint are all talk and no action. They should cut down their carbon emissions and compensate the countries that are facing it for no fault of their own.

Farmers living in South Asia are unaware of the looming water crisis. The glaciers in the Himalayan range are warming up, which means there will be less water for irrigation in the future. Regrettably, we are not prepared to face this crisis. Our dams accumulate less water due to silt deposits. There is a need to realise this looming threat and create options for sustainable growth.

The United Nations, which was formed to promote peace, should call for dismantling of all nuclear weapons by the countries that have it overtly or covertly. The resources used for creating weapons of destruction should be utilised to make nuclear power plants safer, switch to alternatives, produce cheap electricity and reduce pollution. We only live once, and we should strive under all circumstances to make the best of it. Let us build a world without nuclear weapons and fear of destruction.

Navaid Husain
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2023