THE United Nations has warned that 2024 could well be the hottest year on record. The rapidly rising temperatures mean glaciers melting, rising sea levels, more flooding as well as major losses in agricultural harvests. Despite the havoc the climate change phenomenon is causing in Pakistan, especially given that it is the fifth most vulnerable country in the world, there is very little political and public focus on the issue.

Pakistan has been grappling with social, economic and political instability since its inception. However, the situation has deteriorated further over the last few years. Consequently, owing to rampant unemployment, malnutrition, socio-political instability and inflation, it is no surprise that climate change is not at the forefront of public discourse.

Bloomberg reports that Pakistan, as the fifth largest cotton producer in the world, is witnessing its cotton crop wilt due to extremely high temperatures.

In a struggling economy such as ours, loss of crops can be catastrophic. In fact, climate change poses an existential threat to Pakistan, and what we experienced in 2022 was only a glimpse of what might be in store for us if Pakistan, with the help of the global community at large, does not immediately address the issue.

Therefore, what Pakistan needs is a political commitment to addressing the issue of climate change head on through sustainable infrastructure development measures, advanced water conservation technologies and use of flood forecasting tools based on artificial intelligence (AI).

Mariam Waqar
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2024