1 week Ago
A series of recent environmental developments—from dangerously high chemical levels in Korangi Creek to worsening wildfires in the Margalla Hills, an alarming heatwave in Karachi, and the Punjab government’s drought-prompted ban on new car wash stations—paint a grim picture of Pakistan’s mounting climate crisis. Each incident, on its own, is troubling. Taken together, they are a flashing red signal we cannot afford to ignore.
Pakistan continues to reel under the dual pressures of global climate shifts and local environmental mismanagement. While rising global temperatures and erratic weather patterns are part of a larger phenomenon, the toxic runoff leading to creek fires and water pollution, or the unchecked urbanisation contributing to wildfire risks, are squarely the result of human negligence. And yet, the urgency in policy and planning remains missing.
Ranked among the top ten most vulnerable countries to climate change, Pakistan is staring down a punishing summer with forecasts of deadly heatwaves, flash floods, and extended droughts. But what we continue to see is a reactive approach at best—a scramble once the crisis is already in motion. It is no longer enough to hope the monsoon will fix our water tables or assume that disaster relief is an adequate response strategy.
We must plan for climate resilience with the seriousness it deserves. This means investing in early warning systems, sustainable urban development, ecosystem preservation, and public awareness campaigns that treat climate change as the national security threat it has become. Gang arrested, items worth Rs3m recovered We perceive this moment as both a reckoning and an opportunity.
Short-term mitigation must be matched by long-term vision. And if the present crisis doesn’t shake us out of our complacency, the future will not be kind. Tags: warnings.
