Climate change is a bitter reality that is only going to worsen. Heat waves in France, Spain, and GB, drought and wildfires in the US, drying lakes in China and floods in Pakistan are some of the catastrophes induced by climate change. The aforementioned states, except for Pakistan, are the biggest carbon emitters in the world. But Pakistan is the only country that suffered the most because of that. Pakistan’s geopolitical location makes it of immense importance to the world. At the same time, it is susceptible to changing weather conditions caused by human activities such as industrial waste.
Pakistan is not only facing flooding at the moment. Many of its regions are suffering from heat waves, and droughts that have taken the lives of entire villages. Indeed, according to a global climate risk index developed by a German NGO, Pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable country to extreme weather.
Even if we limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius, a third of Pakistan’s glaciers could still melt. To that end, Pakistan has called on rich nations to fulfil their pledge they made more than a decade ago to provide lower income countries with $100 billion a year to adapt to climate change.
“Developing countries, whilst not responsible for the majority of emissions today, too often bear the brunt of climate change impacts,” Ambassador Aamir Khan, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said at a briefing in July. “The specific challenges faced by the developing countries in climate change must be recognized.”
Written by Amna Sheikh
(sheikh_amna@outook.com)
