The Scorching Europe!

written by Ezba Walayat | July 26, 2022

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.



Climate Change: A Non-Traditional Security Threat

written by Ezba Walayat | July 26, 2022

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.