CLIMATE CHANGE AND PAKISTAN

(ASSIGNMENT # 01 SEMESTER SPRING-2023)

Submission Date (July 9, 2023)

BY

MEHAK FATIMA

ROLL # 21011514-007
Climate Change (GEO-450)
BS Zoology (Section A)
Submitted To
Mr Zain ul Abiden
Department of Zoology

UNIVERSITY OF GUJRAT
Table of Contents:

Sr.no Contents Page no

01 Climate change 01

02 Climate change effect on Pakistan 01

i. Possible impacts on ecology 01

ii. Water resource security 02

iii. Food security 03

iv. Energy security 04

v. Climate change and human health 05

vi. Natural hazards 06

vii. Economic impacts 07

03 Adaptation strategies 07

04 Case study at district level 08

05 References 11
Climate change:

Climate change refers to long term changes in weather patterns observed at a particular region or entire
planet.

Climate change effects on Pakistan:

Climate change put diverse effects on Pakistan because it has a warm climate. Pakistan lies in a region
where increase in temperature is expected to higher than the global average. Land areas in Pakistan are
mainly arid and semi-arid. Economy of Pakistan is largely agrarian and very sensitive to climate change.
Pakistan faces increasingly larger risks of variability in monsoon rains, so extended droughts and floods
may occur. Rivers are mainly feed by the Hindu Kush-Karakoram Himalayan glaciers which are reported
to be melting rapidly due to global warming. Due to impact of all these factors, energy security, flood
security and water security are under serious threat.

Possible impacts on ecology:

Climate change has serious impacts on ecology or ecosystem of Pakistan. It can change the biodiversity
and ecosystem of Pakistan that leads to the loss of habitat and species.

1. Loss of biodiversity:

Climate change threats the distribution and survival of various animals and also plants in Pakistan. Most
of the threat occurs to those species that are endangered or rare. For instance, snow leopard which is
mostly seen in mountain parts of northern Pakistan is facing habitat loss due to glacier melting. Another
rare animal known as indus river dolphin. It is the rarest animal found on earth. It is at a greater risk of
extinction due to number of factors i.e. reduced fresh water flows, fishing activities and water pollution.

2. Degradation of ecosystem:

Different ecosystems in Pakistan i.e. forests, deserts, wetlands, grasslands, and coastal zones are under
great threat because of climate change. These ecosystems provide important services to humans i.e. water,
food, fuel, wood, medicines, flood protection and erosion control. Climate change has diverse effects on
structure and composition of these ecosystems. For example forests present near rivers and oceans act as
natural barriers against storms and rising sea level. Due to deforestation, there is an increased risk of
storms and floods. Desertification and land degradation occur due to climate change-induced droughts
and floods.

3. Increase vulnerability:

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Climate change increases the vulnerability of Pakistan due to its geographical location, high
dependence on agriculture etc. Pakistan has high subjection to flooding that also includes riverine,
flash and coastal. It has also exposure to tropical cyclones and their related hazards and drought.
Climate change can enhance the spread and intensity of pests and various diseases that put harmful
effects on crops of Pakistan.

Water resource security:

Water resource security means that one have enough water of better quality for different purposes i.e.
drinking, industry, nature and farming. It is very beneficial for human’s health, well-being and
livelihoods. It play important role in supporting economic development and environmental
sustainability. But, it is under threat by many elements i.e. population growth, climate change and
pollution.

Climate change impacts on water resource security:

4. Melting of glaciers:
Pakistan relays on the Indus river system for supply of water, which is driven by the glaciers in
the Himalayas. But, these glaciers are melting speedily due to global warming, generating more
than 3,000 lakes that can break out and cause devastating floods.

(Fig 1.1: Flooded districts of Pakistan)

5. Heavy rainfalls:
Pakistan is located at a place on the globe which carries the burden of two crucial weather
systems. One can cause high temperatures and drought and other conducts monsoon rains. The
changing patterns of monsoon rainfall can also influence the accessibility and quality of water for
drinking, irrigation, and hydropower. Major population of Pakistan lives alongside of the Indus
River, which can flood during monsoon rains. Global warming is making sea and air
temperatures rise that leads to more evaporation. Warmer air can grasp more moisture, making
monsoon rainfall more severe.
6. Wastage of water:

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 Out of the available surface water, around 74% is extracted, while 83% of the groundwater is
utilized for agricultural and many other uses, which is an unusually high ratio for a water-scarce
country such as Pakistan. Inadequate water reservoirs, water wastage in households and
agriculture, negligible wastewater recycling, and contamination of drinking water have become
serious national security challenges for Pakistan. Surface and subsurface water in Pakistan is
depleting intensely, and if it is not addressed in time it will become the biggest national security
problem.

Food security:

Food security is the condition of having access to enough quantity and quality of food for healthy life.
Pakistan is an agricultural country which produces wheat, rice, sugarcane, and other crops. In
Pakistan food security is threatened by climate change, which is expected to have impacts on all
facets of food security such as availability, access, utilization and stability. Climate change will
influence the significant agriculture sector on which the livelihoods of half the population depend.

Impacts of climate change on food security in Pakistan

 Effects of floods:

Effects of floods on agricultural and food production sectors are huge. These impacts have been
more significant in Sindh and Baluchistan particularly the vulnerable regions. Nearly, 2 million
acres of agricultural lands has been damaged, of which 304,000acres are in Baluchistan
1.50million acres in Sindh and 178,000acres in Punjab. Nearly, 3.5million people are estimated to
be food insecure 17 out of 59 calamity-affected districts which were covered in IPC, acute food
insecurity analysis conducted in July 2022 by NGO, FAO and federal and provincial government
ministries and departments as the flood hit Pakistan major losses to rice cotton and sugar cane
occurs.

 Decreased crop yield:

Decreased crop yield occurs due to higher temperatures, inconsistent rainfall, floods,
droughts, pests and diseases which also affect the economy of Pakistan. Increased
vulnerability of food systems occurs because of extreme weather events, displacement and
migration.

 Increase of inflation rate:

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 Lower income and purchasing power of farmers occur due to crop losses, deaths of livestock
and damage to asset. Prices of food items increased because of lower production, higher
demand, market disruptions and transportation cost.

 Health risks:

Malnutrition and health risks have become increased because of lower dietary diversity and
quality of food.

(Fig 1.2: Affected agricultural land of Pakistan by floods)

Energy security:

Energy security means having adequate energy to meet our needs without interruptions or high costs. It is
constant process of securing the amount of energy that is needed to sustain people’s lives and daily
activities.

Climate change impacts:

 Climate change can disturb the availability and quality of water resources, which are
necessary for hydropower generation, thermal power cooling and irrigation for agriculture.
Pakistan depends heavily on agriculture and hydropower for its food and energy security.

 Climate change lessens profitability and productivity of agricultural food system which is
greatest employer and source of income for vulnerable households. It can affect their
approach to reliable energy services.

 Climate change can increase appeal for cooling and air conditioning in urban areas creating
more pressure on already strained electricity grid. Pakistan faces an unpredictable dilemma of

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 having too much electricity capacity, mainly from fossil fuels which is raising electricity
costs.

 Pakistan faces a chronic energy crisis because of the gaps present between demand and
supply of electricity. Climate change can worsen this situation by disturbing the hydropower
generation from rivers and dams, which accounts for about 30% of the total electricity
production.

Climate change and human health:

Climate change can enhance the exposure of people to heat stress, respiratory diseases, vector-borne
diseases, water-borne diseases and malnutrition.

 Heat stress:

Heat stress and heat stroke can cause dehydration, exhaustion and sometime even death. Heat
stress can also affect safety of workers, especially in outdoor occupations. Heat stroke boosts the
risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. For example in 2022, more than 1,000 people in
Karachi killed by serious heat wave.

 Water-borne diseases:

Diarrhea, typhoid and hepatitis spread due to contaminated water source and poor sanitation.
These diseases are common in Pakistan. Water-borne diseases can cause cholera, malnutrition,
and death particularly in children and elderly people.

For example Jacobabad is a city in Pakistan, where waterborne diseases are very common. It is
also known as Ground Zero for its extreme heat and record rainfall in 2022. Jacobabad
experienced devastating flood. It displaced thousands of people and submerged vast areas of
farmland. Many people face the risk of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea and malaria
due to polluted floodwaters.

 Vector borne diseases:

Vector borne diseases i.e. dengue fever and malaria can be transmitted by mosquito and other
insects that thrive in warmer conditions. Vector borne diseases can cause fever headache, joint
pain, organ failure, anemia and even death. Rawalpindi is very populated city with a population
of about 2.1 million people. Several vector borne diseases i.e. dengue fever, malaria and Crimean
Congo hemorrhagic fever.

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  Air-borne diseases:

Pakistan is exposed to smog from last couple of years specifically in winter. A form of haze in air
related to air pollution, cause nose, eyes, throat and lungs infections that lead to fever and various
skin diseases.

Natural hazards:

Climate change can enhance the intensity and frequency of natural hazards i.e. floods, droughts, storms,
cyclones and wildfires. These hazards can cause loss of lives, property damage and infrastructure
disruption.

For example Pakistan faced three major floods in 2022 to 2023 that put serious impacts on more than 20
million people.

 Floods:

Floods are closely related to climate change because global warming is making the air and sea
temperature rise that leads to higher evaporation and more intense monsoon rains. In 2010, 2014,
2016 and 2022, Pakistan has experienced devastating floods that caused huge economic losses
and killed thousands of people. Pakistan is also at risk of glacial lake outburst floods that occur
when the glaciers in the northern region melt speedily and form lakes that can burst and unleash
millions of cubic meters of water and debris.

(Fig 1.3: Survivors of floods in Pakistan, village of Shahdadkot)

 Heat waves:

The heat waves are linked to climate change because higher temperature increase intensity and
frequency of heat stress. The heat waves can increase the water security power outages crop
failures and many health problems. Pakistan has also suffered from extreme heat waves in 2015,
2018, 2019 and 2022 which results in hundreds of deaths particularly among the poor and elderly.

 Drought:

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 Pakistan has faced intense droughts in 2018 and 2021, which put serious effects on thousands of
people particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions of Sindh and Baluchistan. The droughts were
also affected by climate change because higher temperature decrease soil moisture and increase
evaporation that leads to less rainfall and snowfall. Droughts can also deteriorate food insecurity
poverty, malnutrition and conflict.

Economic impacts:

Climate changes have been causing serious economic losses to Pakistan because of damage from the
extreme weather events, environmental degradation and air pollution. According to numerous sources
some of the estimates of the economic losses of Pakistan are given below.

 The World Bank group’s country climate and development report (CCDR)for Pakistan evaluate
that the risks of severe climate related changes, air pollution and environmental degradation are
projected to decrease Pakistan’s GDP at least 18 to 20% by 2050.

 The post disaster needs assessment (PDNA) following the unprecedented floods in 2022
estimates that the floods give rise to economic losses of 30 billion dollars and the reconstruction
requires at least $16.3 billion.

 The global climate risk index published by German watch ranks Pakistan as the 8 th most affected
country by climate change between 2000 and 2020. An estimate that Pakistan lost an average of
3.8 billion dollars per year due to effects of climate change.

 Lowering the attractiveness of country trade and tourism. Air pollution can reduce tourists
therefore, reducing the quantity of exports and also discouraging investors from setting up
businesses in polluted areas.

Adaptation strategies:

Adaptation strategies are actions that have objective to lower the vulnerability of people and systems to
the effects of climate change. They are crucial for Pakistan because they can help save lives, enhance
resilience, protect assets, and promote development.

1. Modifying the Agri-Food System:

Productivity in the agri-food system is greatest employer, particularly for vulnerable households
that has been collapsing due to the degradation of land, overuse of chemical inputs and water, and
lack of research. Yields are considered to drop another 50% by 2050. To aid rural incomes and
enhancing food and water security, Pakistan needs to repurpose environmentally damaging

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 subsidies, prioritize ecosystem restoration and promote climate-smart and regenerative
agriculture and livestock systems.

2. Building Resilient:
Pakistan’s population living in urban areas is already exposed tremendously to pollution and
climate change. It will increase from 37% in 2020 to 60% in 2050. Urgent reforms are needed for
more integrated land use planning, increased investments in municipal services and in energy
efficiency and clean transportation to ensure the cities become more liveable. In this regard,
strong municipal governments and expansion of city finances through property taxation are
critical.
3. Reforms in energy sector:
Energy sector is important enabler of poverty reduction and economic development. Pakistan
should prioritize lowering the cost of generation including through energy efficiency and
enhanced targeting of subsidies while addressing technical and collection losses in transmission
and distribution.
4. Improving water management:
Improving water management should be improved by building water storage facilities,
conserving water resources, enhancing groundwater recharge and decreasing water pollution.
5. Disaster preparedness:
Decreasing disaster risk by improving disaster preparedness and response capacities,
implementing structural and non structural measures to prevent or mitigate hazards, increasing
community based disaster risk management and supporting disaster recovery and reconstruction.
6. Protecting human health:
Protecting human health by improving healthcare services increasing public awareness on disease
prevention, hygiene strengthening and providing heat stress relief measures.
7. Increasing energy efficiency:
Enhancing energy efficiency by utilizing renewable energy sources i.e. solar, wind, biomass,
improving transmission and distribution networks, promoting energy conservation and
developing smart grids.

Case study at district level:

1. Bahawalpur:
Bahawalpur is a district of Punjab. It has desert climate and very little rainfall occur throughout
the year. Annual rainfall is 223mm.

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 Climate changes:

Heat waves in summer especially in June and July Bahawalpur have very high temperature with
an average maximum temperature above 40˚C it cause health risks for animals and people.
Bahawalpur is located in desert area and here strong winds can blow sand and dust in the air that
reduces visibility and air quality. They are most frequent in summer and spring.

Adaptation measure:

 Ground water and surface irrigation:

It improves the water availability and efficiency for agriculture and domestic use in districts that
faces salinity and water stress due climate related events. This measure involves promotion of
water conservation practices i.e. drip irrigation, mulching etc., construction of small dams, canals,
to store and distribute water from Sutlej River and ground water resources.

 Crop diversification:

This measure aims to increase the productivity of agriculture in the region which is vulnerable to
floods, pests and diseases due to climate change. It involves introduction of climate smart crops
i.e. millet, fruits, pulses, oil seeds, sorghum and vegetables that are suitable for local agro
ecological conditions.

 Agroforestry:

Its aim to improve the land use in the district that is suffering from soil erosion, deforestation and
desertification due to climate change. It involves establishment of tree based systems on
agricultural lands i.e. windbreaks, orchards and shelterbelts etc.

2. Tharparkar:

In Sindh province the district of Tharparkar is considered as one of the most drought-prone areas
in Pakistan. It faces chronic water scarcity, food insecurity, poverty, and malnutrition. To cope
with these challenges, the district administration has implemented several adaptation strategies
with the support of various partners such as NGOs, donors and research institutes.

Some of these strategies are:

 Installing solar-powered reverse osmosis plants to provide pure water for drinking to the
communities.

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  Encouraging kitchen gardening and backyard poultry farming to improve household
nutrition and income.

 Establishing drought-tolerant and high-yielding varieties of crops such as millet and

sorghum to increase food security.

 Providing livestock insurance and vaccination to save the assets and livelihoods of the
pastoralists.

Establishing early warning systems and emergency response teams to reduce the impacts of droughts and
other disasters are helpful in controlling climate change impacts. Some other districts affected by climate
change are given below.

District Events of climate change Year Impacts of climate change

Nagar Landslides and floods 2022 420 homes destroyed and 740
damaged

Karachi Heat wave 2015 More than 1000 deaths

Chitral Glacial lake outburst flood 2015-2016 More than 300 houses damaged

Tharparka Drought 2014-2019 More than 1000 deaths

r

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_in_Pakistan

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62758811

https://dailytimes.com.pk/472217/climate-change-causes-outcomes-in-pakistan-and-a-way-forward/

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/07/04/changing-climate-and-its-impact-on-pakistan/

https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/bahawalpur_pakistan_1183880
https://en.climate-data.org/asia/pakistan/punjab/bahawalpur-3010/
https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/pakistan/bahawalpur/climate

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