Pakistan’s Environment; in the Eyes Of A Westerner
Today, the international community has a very prominent problem towards the scale of globalization as a whole. We are witnessing one of the largest man-made issues in the modern era, and it seems to be getting worse. Every intellectual scientist from Carl Sagan, Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking all claimed that at one instance in time, the planet will stop supporting us due to massive pollution increase and lack of resources. Greed has immense pressure on our environment as a whole, and soon we will bear witness to one of the largest issues in the modern day times. As Pakistani by birth and raised as an American, I have always had the urge to help both nations fight this tremendous issue piling up in both the industrial and agricultural revolutions in both states.
The climate is spontaneously changing, the Earth and its temperature is accelerating at such a speed that it will be impossible to reduce once it’s high up at a certain extent. The scientific reasoning is that the causes are all man-made and that this issue can only be solved by mankind. It is the most selfish trait to forget about our future generations and destroy this environment. It is the simplicity of thought, to think that this world is only being destroyed for entertainment and profit purposes only. Species and habitats are slowly decreasing, whereas the impacts of climate change and global warming are increasing. Our ecosystems are unable to adapt to such extreme conditions. Experts regard events such as the Karachi heat wave the result of climate change. Also with the extreme weather patterns that are uncommon in the calendar seasons, it is proven that we are to bear witness the greatest environmental challenge in this decade.
Pakistan is a country with whom I call, “untapped potential”, as its not accessed properly. According to Pakistan Construction And Quarry, Pakistan has the 9th largest shale gas and oil reserve in the world. This accounts for more than the total reserves in the central states alone. However, the country faces many issues such as water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes. Deforestation is another issue, as well as desertification. It should be noted, that in any individuals’ life, portable and clean water is one of the basic necessities of life. It is such a shameful problem, that even this exists, as it is more of a fundamental right to the masses. Even the sanitized water that runs through pipelines has a risk towards the user as contaminated water. In Punjab, ninety percent of water comes from groundwater; however Sindh only gets nine percent. Provincially, it needs a lot more attention in some parts as rural and urban classification is important towards saving nature. Water pollution itself has sheltered waterborne diseases in the area and caused more issues abroad.
Natural disasters and climate change are also transitioning at an alarming rate. Landslides are becoming more frequent in the northern mountains; destroying everything that come under way. Monsoon season brings tremendous amounts of flooding in abundance. This causes problems from humans to animals. According to GeoTimes, many surveys done in the mountainous regions of Pakistan show that these areas have become more wet, and this may possibly be well due to human induced global warming. This effects ecological systems as well as the amount of renewable resources we have. There is already a consistent problem in regarding electricity and water cycles, these problems will continue to grow if we can’t control these issues before the upcoming ones.
Strategies and techniques should be implemented, in order to protect our environment from further complications. Pollution must be eliminated in the city as well as the towns or villages near the water resources. Throwing away something after it has been used, only affects the environment and creates pressure on the ecosystem. More sustainable solutions must be promoted to save what we have and what is to come. Trash cans need to be more evident especially in the city. Awareness is the most prominent aspect of any solution, as that is what leads a country going together. People need to be educated, and the youth must be focused in this regard. One day this country will be run by the younger generation and if they are sensitized regarding environmental conservation, we’ll be able to protect our natural resources effectively. We must start to think both for the international community, as well as the future generations to come.
Shahrukh Nasim is an intern at WWF-Pakistan’s head office. He tweets at @shahrukhnasim_ and can be contacted at shahrukhnasim@outlook.com
