Floods are indeed the worst kind of climate crisis. One third of Pakistan and more than 33 million of population have been affected by the floods in Pakistan. The floods have left the whole country in the alarming situation. It has not only caused the deaths, but it has disturbed the whole system of the country. The circumstances are very complicated. The worst floods in recent Pakistani history was followed on by heavy monsoon rains, which has swept away villages and left more than three million children in desperate need of emergency assistance and more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses, drowning, and starvation.

At 22.7 percent, the agriculture industry contributes for nearly a fifth of Pakistan’s GDP. Massive destruction, specifically to the country’s important cotton crop, arises at a time when Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves are rapidly diminishing and the government is already dealing with significant inflation, which reached a five-decade high of 27.3% in August. According to a UN Food and Agriculture Organization study from August 29, about 80% of Sindh’s crops—which provide approximately 30% of all Pakistan’s production of cotton ruined. Pakistan’s textile sector, a significant employment and contributor of foreign cash, uses nearly 70% of the cotton cultivation there. The industry is bracing for a shortage because almost 35% of that is produced in Sindh province by farmers like Kingrani.

Although the immediate financial impact of the disaster in terms of destroyed buildings, bridges, and road networks as well as lost crops and livestock can be calculated, government should also be cautious and must plan for the disaster’s spilling effect on the rest of the economy. Meeting the requirements of tax hikes and austerity policies as part of its deal with IMF for its bailout deal, which was agreed last month for the cash-strapped nation, will be Pakistan’s economic team’s most difficult challenge.

Population has been left homeless and the population of the rural areas owning animals like Cows, Buffaloes, and Chickens have all lost them in flood and it has caused a huge loss to their businesses as well. It has destroyed the whole agricultural system as well. Places which were famous for their tourism are also affected. So, the flood has caused an equal material and non-material loss.

Massive harm as a result of climate change problems associated with global warming is being experienced by New Zealand. In order to address these issues, New Zealand has formulated its first six-year national action plan, as more extreme storms, flooding and wild fires are brought on by climate change. James Shaw, New Zealand’s minister for climate change, stated that extreme weather events that had previously thought unimaginable are today happening at a rate and an intensity that we have never witnessed before. It is also the first long-term plan to assist New Zealand in strengthening its resilience and adaptability to a fast changing environment. The evacuation of 70,000 homes near coastal areas will be contemplated as a possible solution to the increasing sea levels. The key idea behind the action plan is to make country ready for negative outcomes in advance rather than after they happen. The plan can be considered as a great effort by New Zealand to ensure environmental security. Before moving forward, it is important to understand the importance of environmental security, as the current discourse on security has been shifted from traditional security to non-traditional security threats such as climate change, human security, food security, environmental security etc. but unfortunately it is not getting enough attention. Environmental security is the condition of safeguarding the important interests of the individuals, society, and natural environment against risks brought on by anthropogenic and natural events. The dynamics and connections between people and natural resources make environmental security essential to national security paradigm. Thus, environment is the subject matter and maintaining its protection is crucial for maintaining peace, national security, and human rights.

The natural environment of New Zealand is an important component of its culture and a driving force behind the country’s tourism industry that help economy. The natural resources of New Zealand, which make up a sizable portion of its exports, are very important to the country’s economy. These natural resources must be thoughtfully managed for the benefit of current and future generations in order to achieve sustainable economic growth. The items like dairy, beef, timber, fruit, vegetables, and fish assist the food security of countries like China, Australia and the United States that receive these products, are maintained by the natural environment. Therefore, it is crucial for New Zealand to implement the National Adaptation Plan on urgent basis in order to preserve its environmental sustainability and economic growth. It can be done enhancing environmental governance and management, also by strengthening collaboration among all the stakeholders in order to make sure significant engagement with communities at local level to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change in the country.

Introduction

Europe is witnessing extreme heat waves for the very first time which has clutched the whole region by an intense increased temperature. The record breaking temperature has triggered wildfires that have spread over a vast area of nearly 27,000 acres due to which authorities are struggling to control the situation. Almost 19 European countries are still in extreme danger of forest or wildfires forecasted by European Forest Fire Information System. The railway and the transit systems have been destroyed badly in most parts of the region. The heat waves are increasing significantly more than ever in Europe and the negative trend is said to be continued by 2060 as per stated by the United Nations. Recently, in June, major countries of Europe like France and Portugal experienced drought and now the region is in severe crisis again. More than 31,000 people have been evacuated in France and 659 deaths have been reported in Portugal within a week, and alone in Spain, more than 500 people have died as a consequence of existing calamity. The rapidly changing global weather patterns in the form of current heat waves have not only affected Europe but also the United States and parts of China. The United States referred heat waves as the deadliest disaster and almost 600 people died as a result per year from 1999 to 2009. This year China observed highest temperature over 42 degrees Celsius causing death causalities. The spurring death toll is alarming and demands effective measures for the safety and protection of the people.

Climate Change and Heat Waves

Climate change is being contemplated as the root cause of the crisis and is a major driving force behind record-breaking and extreme heat waves. Heat waves are becoming more frequent and hotter due to climate change. The United Nations international panel i.e. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that this is the case for the majority of the regions. Experts have also attributed raged heat waves in Europe to uncheck human activities, since the start of industrialization, greenhouse gas emissions have increased global temperatures by around 1.2 degrees Celsius. It means that the average temperature of the Earth is increasing with the passing time which can create more worsening circumstances in the future in comparison with what all the regions are going through now. Since the base is getting warmer, extreme heat events can reach further higher temperatures and exacerbating dry conditions. Heat waves can have impacts on the livelihoods of people specifically marginalized sectors of society. Also, it will increase poverty, political instability and social tensions as well as food security will also be threatened as it have witnessed from South-Asian countries including Pakistan and India. But unfortunately, it is a dilemma that heat waves are not getting due attention of the concerned and responsible stakeholders to deal with the issue.

President Joe Biden’s Plan for Climate Change

The rising threat has been underlined by skyrocketing summer temperatures, with 100 million Americans currently under extreme heat warnings and devastatingly hot circumstances affecting anguish across the Europe has resulted in Joe Biden’s revival of Climate Agenda. On 20th July, while announcing a total of $2.3 billion to assist develop US infrastructure that can resist global disasters, Mr. Joe Biden said “the health of our citizens and our communities is literally at stake, our national security is at stake and our economy is at risk. So we have to act”. He added “Climate change is literally, not figuratively, a clear and present danger”.

Conclusion

Climate change is such an important issue that it should be identified as a concern of national security. The statement by President Biden shows the importance of climate change which is posing serious threats to a country’s traditional and non-traditional security. The climate has changed and will continue to change; there is a need of taking serious steps to deal with the concerned issue. It can be done by creating innovation in the existing course of action for adaptation, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle with the issues of global warming in an efficient manner at local, national, and international levels. Here the role of developed nations and the international community is crucial in terms of developing countries, as they are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, policies must be designed in a way that proves a source of relief for them. The current situation of Europe should be considered as a wake-up call by all the countries and stakeholders to make an effort not only to safeguard planet Earth but the people of planet Earth as humanity comes first and should be the top priority.

Introduction

Climate change is one of the most significant global issues which are being faced by almost each country in the world. It is clearer than ever that the Earth’s climate is changing quickly. As per evidence based on various reports, the changes in climatic patterns can result into catastrophic effects on individuals all around the world. Whether a country is developed or underdeveloped, the impacts of climate change are already being seen in practically all the countries. It has posed a challenge as the sea levels are rising as a consequence of glaciers melt. Extreme weather events and rainfall are growing more common, while extreme heat waves and droughts are also becoming more regular. Developing countries are more at risk because of climate change and these effects are projected to worsen in the coming years. South-Asian countries and particularly Pakistan and India are facing major issues due to climate change. In 2015, due to heat waves, 2500 deaths were reported in the subcontinent out of which 1300 people died in Pakistan. Among the countries that are most vulnerable to climate change, Pakistan stands at 8th whereas India is at 7th number. Both the countries experienced deadly heat waves this year associated which reduced overall food production, particularly wheat yield at the national and regional levels while affecting food security.

Implications of Climate Change in Pakistan

Pakistan’s geographical location makes it more prone to the adverse effects of the climate change phenomenon. It has brought social, environmental, and economic implications for the country. Climate-related natural hazards have become recurrent in the form of heat waves, droughts, land sliding, and floods which is anticipated to intensify with passing time. Pakistan has endured an economic loss of $4 billion and more than 10,000 lives due to climatic hazards. According to a study, Pakistan has some of the highest disaster risk levels in the world and is ranked 18 out of 191 countries by the 2020 Inform Risk Index. Also, Pakistan’s average temperature will be significantly higher than the global average with a potential rise by the year 2090. On the other hand, 20 million people lost their houses, suffered injuries, or went missing as a result of the 2010 floods, according to statistics, which show the devastation they caused. In 2012, there was yet another similar flood situation that created havoc in Pakistan.

Urban Flooding in Major Cities

Since the last ten years, flooding has been a problem in many areas of Pakistan. It is because climate change has resulted in extreme weather conditions, and monsoon rains have devastated the major cities of the country. In August 2020, Karachi had record-breaking rainfalls in a century that resulted in urban flooding which stopped the normal functioning of activities in the city. In addition to that, it caused heavy property and human life loss as 40 people died as a result of particular event. In 2021, Islamabad received heavy monsoon rains which triggered urban flooding in the city and caused 2 deaths; this situation has never been experienced before by the capital. But in the current ongoing year, a similar situation is happening again i.e. urban flooding in both prominent cities of the country and at least 26 people died in Karachi till now. This depicts the sorry state of human security, which is basically the form of non-traditional security, in country. The basic unit of non-traditional security is an “individual being”. It also means to make sure human security and safeguard people from threats that challenge their survival on planet Earth. The human security is correlated with climate change as it has a direct impact on people’s well-being due to the physical effects of climatic extremes. These extremes can be defined by an increase in surface temperatures also by frequent floods, droughts and changes in natural ecosystems.

Conclusion

Apart from climate change, there is incompetency at the end of concerned Governments at federal as well as provincial level. It is because issues like uncontrolled growth, poor urban development method, solid waste management and lack of adequate flood protection infrastructure are not receiving due attention by the responsible authorities. Urban areas have significantly changed their dynamics and moving towards more complexities because of increased population density. It is the duty of the responsible stakeholders to deal with both the aspects vigilantly. For climate change mitigation and adaptation, it entails taking steps to prepare for and adjust to both current and expected future effects of climate change by assisting provincial and municipal governments as well as corporate sector for adapting climate change. There is a shift in security paradigm from traditional to non-traditional security; the primary component of non-traditional security is “human being”. A country will be called safe and developed, if its individuals are secure. Therefore, effective policies are the necessity of the time levels for the sake people’s security. It can be achieved through implementing policies efficiently and collaboration among different stakeholders at all levels in order to deal with the severe effects of climate change as well as management and governance issues.

By: Saddam Tahir

Climate change is not only an environmental challenge; rather it has evolved into a security and developmental challenge over the years for countries across the globe. With changing climate scenarios, Pakistan’s development model needs to go through a paradigm shift, creating a second climate science arm. All economic planning and investments, out of necessity, need to be an exercise in planning and investment of climate adaptation, duly informed by institutions generating climate knowledge and providing climate services. Climate services can help the country pursue three tracks:

• Climate adaptation
• Disaster-risk reduction
• Sustainable development

In the annual report for 2020, Global Climate Risk Index has placed Pakistan in the fifth position on the list of countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. According to the report from 1999 to 2018, Pakistan has experienced 152 extreme weather hazards, faced economic loss worth $3.8 billion, and 9,989 people have died. Based on the statistics recorded by the think tank, the report concluded that Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change is intensifying. The report points out that Pakistan is “recurrently affected by catastrophes and continuously rank among the most affected countries both in the long-term index and in the index for the respective year”. Due to the geographical location, Pakistan has become most vulnerable to climate change and hence placed on the long-term index of the report. One of the co-authors of the report David Eckstein registers in the report that “the entire region where Pakistan is located is prone to extreme weather events, in particular, heavy rainfalls e.g. during monsoon season, and floodings as a result.”

This year’s report is particularly relevant for Pakistan as climate change is fast “increasing variability in the water cycle, inducing a greater number of extreme weather events, reducing the predictability of water availability, and adversely affecting water quality”. Three water-related issues are central to climate adaptation in Pakistan:

1. a) Water stress, reflected in increasing uncertainty and scarcity.
2. b) Hazards and disasters reflected in floods, droughts, storms surges, and glacier lake outbursts.
3. c) Water quality is reflected in the deteriorating quality of ground and surface water used for drinking, irrigation, and industry.

As the early warning systems continue to be underdeveloped and underutilized, the national meteorological and hydrological services remain weak. National public institutions mandated to provide hydrological information, therefore, lack the necessary capacities needed to provide climate services for water. The results are perilous: human, social, and economic losses are continuously soaring as floods have globally increased by 134 percent and droughts by 20pc in the last two decades. This gives Pakistan all the more reason to augment climate services.

Despite international support and growing climate vulnerabilities, Pakistan has not developed its National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS). The presence of an NFCS will provide an institutional mechanism to coordinate, facilitate and enhance collaboration among national institutions to improve, jointly produce, deliver and use science-based climate projections and services. Some regional countries like China and India who developed robust national frameworks have successfully accessed global science and technology, as the GFCS seeks to build on continued improvements in climate forecasting to increase access to the best climate data. Planners, investors, and vulnerable communities have the right to benefit from easy-to-use information so that they can plan and cope with projected trends and scenarios.

Since Pakistan’s datasets on temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, snowfall in glacial areas, ocean conditions, and winds are absent or inaccessible, policymakers are not always informed about long-term historical averages of these parameters or their risks. Development planners end up shooting in the dark by taking decisions without knowing long-term projections and trends. However, Pakistan’s leadership remains fully committed to addressing the concerns and threats of climate change. As multiple projects of reforestation took place in the last few years to tackle natural disasters.

CLIMATE CHANGE: IMPACTS, VULNERABILITIES AND ADAPTATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

National Report of Pakistan: For HABITAT III

Climate change is not only an environmental challenge, rather it has evolved into a security and developmental challenge over the years for countries across the globe. In the annual report for 2020, Global Climate Risk Index has placed Pakistan in the fifth position on the list of countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. According to the report from 1999 to 2018, Pakistan has experienced 152 extreme weather hazards, faced economic loss worth $3.8 billion, and 9,989 people have died. Based on the statistics recorded by the think tank, the report concluded that Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change is intensifying. The report points out that Pakistan is “recurrently affected by catastrophes [and] continuously rank among the most affected countries both in the long-term index and in the index for the respective year”. Due to the geographical location, Pakistan has become most vulnerable to climate change and hence placed on the long-term index of the report. One of the co-authors of the report David Eckstein registers in the report that “the entire region where Pakistan is located is prone to extreme weather events, in particular, heavy rainfalls e.g. during monsoon season and floodings as a result.

Regardless of the vulnerable status of Pakistan, the Biden administration did not invite leadership from Islamabad to participate in the climate change summit. Washington invited leaders from Russia, France, India, Indonesia, Germany, China, Italy, Bangladesh Kenya, Mexico, Denmark, Colombia, Congo, Chile, Jamaica, Argentina, Australia, Israel, Canada, Japan, Bhutan, and other countries to participate in the virtual climate change summit. Climate change activists and experts from Pakistan were surprised and annoyed on exclusion from the climate change conference, particularly when the country is not only the most affected one from the ever-intensifying repercussions posed by climate change but also when the key focus area of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government has been to combat this challenge. Prime Minister Imran Khan initiated the “Billion Tree Tsunami,” project as a step towards environmental protection.

According to Michael Kugelman, the U.S. based South Asian affairs expert explained the three conditions for being invited to the summit as “(1) close partner of the US or (2) a major polluter or (3) highly vulnerable to climate change or (4) some combo of 1,2,3. Pakistan certainly qualifies for (3). The second-largest emitter of carbon dioxide U.S. during the tenure of Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement but Biden kept his election campaign promise and rejoined the agreement as soon as he entered the White House. Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet expressed that they “puzzled at the cacophony over Pak not being invited to a climate change conf! My govt’s environment policies are driven solely by our commitment to our future generations of a clean & green Pakistan to mitigate the impact of climate change.” However, countries from the same region as Pakistan such as Bangladesh, Russia, and India have been invited to the summit.

Pakistan’s leadership remains fully committed to addressing the concerns and threats of climate change. The initiatives taken to counter the grave consequences have been accepted and appreciated around the world by organizations such as WWF, World Economic Forum, and many other countries. The present government allocated Rs10 billion for facilitating the climate change programs that include sponsoring nature-based solutions, 10 billion tree projects, and cleaning of rivers. The exclusion of Pakistan from the virtual summit hardly makes sense and has been a source of constant debate as most other Asian countries have been invited. According to a survey held in 2019, 21 out of 30 most polluted cities in the world were in India. Air pollution is so grim in India that it has taken the lives of nearly 2 million people. An analysis published in Nature Climate Change Indias percentage of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rose slower in 2016-19 than in 2011-15 but was much above the world average of 0.7%. Union of Concerned Scientists published a report of 20 countries that emitted the most carbon dioxide in 2018, and India was placed third on the list. The irony is despite these reasons and Indias poor performance to meet the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement, the country was invited to the climate change summit.

Washington invited leaders of the Major Economic Forum on Energy and Climate that include 17 countries responsible for 80% of global emissions and GDP. The invitation was also given to the heads of countries that are extremely vulnerable to the aggravating status of climate change and simultaneously their governments are demonstrating strong initiatives to combat climate change. If analyzed from these criteria it can be concluded that Pakistan should have been invited to the summit but was deliberately ignored for different reasons. Kamran Yousaf, a senior Pakistani journalist stated that the elimination of Pakistan from attending the summit was not surprising considering the statements of the former US Ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, who remarked that “Pakistan has lost a great deal of importance in the minds of the leadership in Washington.” Many analysts perceived that this was a deliberate humiliation of Pakistan by the new administration in the U.S. and as a move to pressurize Pakistan to cooperate more with Washington in the Afghan Peace Process. This step taken by the leadership in the White House is also a manifestation of they view Pakistan and how it will frame future relations with the country, once the most important strategically. The surprising development has been deciphered by many other analysts also as a move to sideline Pakistan, especially during the time when new alliances in the region are forming that can challenge the superpower status of the United States.

ADOPTION OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT