SOUTH Asia is the most vulnerable region. One-fifth of the world’s population lives in South Asia, encompassing countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. It is a highly polarized and underdeveloped region known as a “climate-vulnerable” area in the world. Factors like political instability, serious socio-economic and political issues in some regional countries create hurdles in understanding and planning against climate change, the most emerging and devastating issue. Lack of resources and mismanagement at the state and societal levels exacerbate issues such as security, poverty, and food crises.
Climate change has become an international issue but South Asia is a more vulnerable region owing to its dense population, diverse land and lack of good governance. South Asian countries are underdeveloped; they have weak political institutions, fragile economies and a lack of socio-economic awareness. Climate change, however, has immensely changed the internal dynamics of the South Asian region and increased food and security dilemmas in the region. Climate change is being considered a non-traditional security threat that requires more consideration at the government and public levels.
Mostly, South Asian countries are agrarian, heavily dependent on agricultural production. Climate change has drastically affected this sector, diminishing both the quality and quantity of food, thereby exacerbating food security concerns. Essential for agriculture, water sources face significant strain due to climate-induced alterations. Rising temperatures extend the duration and intensity of summer seasons, leading to glacier melt and subsequent flooding, which devastates agricultural regions. Altered rainfall patterns, characterized by unexpected and excessive precipitation, pose serious threats to livelihoods. Shifts in the monsoon season, resulting in heavier rains, particularly impact nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India, exacerbating floods and causing significant human and animal casualties, especially among vulnerable communities.
The global environment has undergone significant changes, leading climate change experts to suggest that a span of 33 years of previous temperature and rainfall records is necessary to assess and predict climate change in any given location. In the South Asian region, Pakistan stands out as particularly vulnerable to climate change. However, due to political instability, the country lacks a robust food policy. Pakistan, primarily agrarian, has an economy that historically does not prioritize its agricultural sector. Consequently, food production fails to meet the needs of the growing population. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics report, “61% of the population is experiencing severe food insecurity.
Climate change is a global issue and it is affecting the whole world- developing and developed both. Underdeveloped countries are facing a serious threat of climate change. South Asian countries are populated and have a lack of awareness in meeting with the existing climate change, however, Pakistan initiated state’s policies to manage the existential climate threat to its people. In 2018, Pakistan formed the first ever food security policy aiming at the purge of poverty and hunger and promoting sustainable food production”. Every year a lot of food crops and products are wasted due to natural disasters, and mismanagement which intensifies threats economically and socially. A proper policy should be formulated to counter these problems effectively. Climate change is an economic security issue and this issue should be kept on the priority by the stakeholders.
Realistically, climate change has become an important non-traditional security factor that has immensely challenged Pakistan’s security-socio-and economic. In Pakistan, a highly rising temperature is leading to melting its glaciers. Unpredictable Climate has caused several serious problems such as mass migration, food security, poverty, drought, and water scarcity etc. Since Pakistan does not have sufficient resources it seeks global cooperation and collaboration with international regimes such as Conference of Parties (COP), the Untitled Nations (UN). The country’s climate is becoming increasingly unpredictable, resulting in frequently devastating flooding in some regions -Balochistan, Sindh, KP and Punjab. Changing climate is likely to continue in the future. The recent unexpected heavy rain caused extensive damage in Gwadar, Balochistan- Gwadar (port) is measured as the gateway of Pakistan’s development and progress.
The floods of 2010 raised questions on the governance as well as incapability of the national disaster management. In 2012, the first ever National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) was introduced by the Environmental Ministry of Pakistan and commenced in February 2013 under the government of Pakistan People’s Party, with contributions from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It gave one hundred and twenty recommendations, including improvement in three major sectors: energy, agriculture and transport. It was aimed at the protection and preservation of the environment and enhancing citizens’ life quality. Now, summer is coming and more rains are expected- heavy rains cause widespread damage in particular areas of Pakistan. The government and policy makers need to plan before the storm, action before time can reduce the impact of great damage that already occurred in 2010-2022 and caused billions of damage of economic loss and killed thousands of people in different parts of Pakistan including security officers.
—The writer is Assistant Professor, Politics and IR, International Islamic University, Islamabad.
Email: nasreen.akhtar@iiu.edu.pk
views expressed are writer’s own.
