Climate change in Pakistan has increased the average annual temperature by 0.120C and the annual rise in sea level by 1.1 mm causing more rainfalls, sea intrusion, impacting agricultural output and extreme flooding. It has been observed that people adjoining northern and coastal areas of Pakistan are witnessing the worse impacts of climate.
Full Answer
What caused the floods of 2010 in Pakistan?
2010 Pakistan floods may have been caused due fluctuation of climate change. Climate change in Pakistan is expected to cause effects on the environment and people in Pakistan. As a result of ongoing climate change, the climate of Pakistan has become prone to change over the past several decades; this trend is expected to continue into the future.
What are the biggest problems facing Pakistan?
Smog is another big problem in Pakistan's industrial eastern Punjab province, where winters in the provincial capital, Lahore, are choked with smoke. Thousands of brick kilns contribute to the problem, and authorities say they are addressing the issue.
How many industrial units contribute to pollution in Lahore?
"There are 359 industrial units contributing to pollution in Lahore that are being monitored now. The zigzag technology was introduced for brick kilns some years ago and 33% of the brick kilns have already been converted to the technology," Ijaz said.
How is climate change affecting settlement?
The most widespread direct risk to human settlements from climate change is flooding and landslides. Projected increases in rainfall intensity and, in coastal areas, sea-level rise will be the culprits. Cities on rivers and coasts are particularly at risk. Figure 1 shows the projected impact on low-lying areas.
What effects does the climate have on Pakistan?
Public opinion. According to the BBC Climate Asia report, the majority of the Pakistani people surveyed claimed that climate change has heavily impacted their lives in the form of floods and droughts, and most importantly has affected the availability of resources such as energy and water.
How does weather and climate affect human settlement?
Climate change impacts on African human settlements arise from a number of climate change-related causes, notably sea level changes, impacts on water resources, extreme weather events, food security, increased health risks from vector home diseases, and temperature-related morbidity in urban environments.
How does climate change affect agriculture in Pakistan?
It is predicted that there will be a 3°C temperature rise by 2040 and by the end of the century temperatures are predicted to have risen 5-6°C that will cause lose up to 50% of their wheat productivity (Ghanem, 2010) in Asian countries. This loss will be greater for Pakistan due to its geographical position.
How does the climate affect the economy of Pakistan?
According to this report, changing climate will directly affect agricultural productivity. By 2040, an increase in average temperature of 0.5 degree Celsius is expected nationwide, with 8-10 percent loss in terms of all crops corresponding to Pakistani Rupees 30,000 per acre.
What type of climate does Pakistan have?
Along the coastal strip, the climate is modified by sea breeze. In the rest of the country, temperatures reach great heights in the summer; the mean temperature during June is 38 °C (100 °F) in the plains, the highest temperatures can exceed 53 °C (127 °F).
How does the environment affect settlements?
Settlement structure is a driver of environmental change as it influences the amount of natural land that is converted into human habitation, the demand for non-renewable natural resources and the production of pollution and waste.
What are the factors that affect settlement?
In order to better categorize which factors ultimately affect settlement, geographers have generally accepted four umbrella terms to describe these elements: climatic, economic, physical, and traditional.
What are the environmental factors that affect human settlement?
Some of the factors that have positive influence on developing a human settlement are water supply, flat and arable land, protection, shelter from weather, bridging point, crossroad – intersection of roads, while land that floods, marshy or steep land, no protection, no building or water supply, may be considered to be ...
How does climate affect crop?
Climate change can disrupt food availability, reduce access to food, and affect food quality. For example, projected increases in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, changes in extreme weather events, and reductions in water availability may all result in reduced agricultural productivity.
What is the effect of climate change on farmers?
Negative impacts of global warming include reduced crop quantity and quality due to the reduced growth period following high levels of temperature rise; reduced sugar content, bad coloration, and reduced storage stability in fruits; increase of weeds, blights, and harmful insects in agricultural crops; reduced land ...
What are the effects of climate in agriculture?
On farms, climate change is reducing crop yields, the nutritional quality of major cereals, and lowering livestock productivity. Substantial investments in adaptation will be required to maintain current yields and to achieve production and food quality increases to meet demand.
What are the environmental issues of Pakistan?
Major Environmental Issues: Air pollution from industrial units and vehicles, Water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion and desertification.
How much does Pakistan contribute to climate change?
1%“Pakistan contributes less than 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions but yet, every year we keep on climbing up the ladder of climate vulnerability. According to the long-term German Watch index, Pakistan is constantly among top 10 climate vulnerable countries.”
Why is Pakistan's temperature increasing?
The temperature is rising due to anthropogenic activities resulting in global warming. Summer season has prolonged while winters have become short in Pakistan. Summers have become hotter and thus affecting the lives of the people engaged in outdoor activities during scorching sun hours.
What is coastal climate?
Coastal climate or maritime climate is the climate of coastal areas. This climate is characterized by sea breezes and moderate temperatures with a unique impact on the life of the people. People from different parts of the country visit country’s coastal city, Karachi, during the winter months ...
What crops are grown in the Karez?
The Karez helps prevent the loss of water as a result of evapotranspiration. Similarly, grapes, apples, peaches, melons, etc. are grown in the cold and dry climates of high altitude mountainous areas of Balochistan. Crops cultivated in these areas include millet, wheat, barley, etc.
What is low land climatic zone?
The low land climatic region includes the climate of Indus plain spread in the provinces of both Punjab and Sindh. The major part of the Indus plain is located in Punjab. Unlike highland climate, the places of this low land climatic zone have mild warm winters. Thus climate is relatively moderate and suitable for crop cultivation throughout the year.
What are the fruits of Balochistan?
However, the small valleys located in high altitude areas of Balochistan with the availability of water produce apples, mangoes, apricots, and grapes.
What are the activities of people in highland?
People of highland practice small-scale livestock, crop farming, horticulture, etc. During the winters, farming becomes impossible in these areas. Too much cold compels people to remain confined to homes and engage in indoor activities i.e. carpet weaving, embroidery work, pottery, etc.
Why is Pakistan's population so sparse?
C. Sparse population. North-western mountain areas of Pakistan have a sparse population because of the extreme cold during winters. The Winter season lasts for more than 6 months in many areas making it less hospitable to life.
What is the landscape of Pakistan?
The country is blessed with mountains, alluvial fertile plains, the world’s famous deserts, and the sea at its south making it one of the unique countries in the world.
What are the major threats facing Pakistan?
Food and water security, as well as large displacement of populations are major threats faced by the country. Pakistan's agriculture-dependent economy is especially susceptible to increasing irregularity and uncertainty over climatic conditions.
What caused the 2010 floods in Pakistan?
2010 Pakistan floods which are likely to be caused or worsened by climate change . Climate change in Pakistan is expected to cause wide-ranging effects on the environment and people in Pakistan. As a result of ongoing climate change , the climate of Pakistan has become increasingly volatile over the past several decades;
What are the threats to coastal areas?
Threat to coastal areas due to projected sea level rise and increased cyclonic activity due to higher sea surface temperatures; Increased stress between upper riparian and lower riparian regions in relation to sharing of water resources; Increased health risks and climate change induced migration .
How does SLR affect coastal areas?
The impact of SLR on coastal areas and its resources may already be evident in the inundation of low-lying areas, degradation of mangrove forests, declining drinking water quality, and decrease in fish and shrimp productivity in those regions. The vulnerability of the Sindh coastal zone is considered higher than the Balochistan coastal areas because of the former's flat tidal topography and higher population concentration with industrial activity along coastal areas (such as Karachi). This rise in sea level is also expected to increase the rate of soil erosion along the coastal belt. An 80% reduction in the amount of river sediment as compared to the early 20th century is reported and attributed to the extensive damming of the Indus River. The delta undergoes a natural subsidence process that ranges from a "sinking" of less than 1 mm/year to more than 10 mm/year. This rate is exceeded due to groundwater and petroleum extraction. Thus, the erosion, subsidence and lack of sedimentation are resulting in the shrinking and sinking of the Indus River delta.
What are the effects of rising temperatures on agriculture?
Rising temperatures resulting in enhanced heat and water-stressed conditions, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, leading to reduced agricultural productivity;
What is the poverty rate in Pakistan?
The poverty rate of Pakistan, when estimated at $2 per day purchasing power parity, exceeds 50% of the total population with stark provincial disparities. This high prevalence of poverty, coupled with the lack of and access to resources, places the country in the low human development category, ranked 146 out of 187 countries, well below the average human development index value compared to other South Asian countries.
What are the future projections for Pakistan?
General future projections for Pakistan are expected to be: Pakistan’s projected temperature increase is expected to be higher than the global average; the frequency of hot days and hot nights is expected to increase significantly; major crop yields such as of wheat and rice are expected to decrease significantly; water availability per capita is projected to decrease to an alarming level.
What does Environmentalist Memon say?
Environmentalist Memon has said that the government initiatives have missed the environmental issues that really matter.
Why are trees planted in Pakistan?
Pakistanis planting trees to tackle climate change. Environmental activist and chairman of Pakistan's Fisherfolk Forum, Mohammad Ali. Shah, told DW that the problem in the Indus delta is being exacerbated by dam construction.
How hot is the Arabian Sea?
The Arabian Sea has also been heating up, with the average surface temperature increasing from 29 degrees Celsius (84.2 Fahrenheit) to 31 degrees in just two years, according to Memon.
Is Pakistan facing monsoons?
Arid Pakistan has been facing stronger monsoons that what has been seen in the past.
Why is Pakistan experiencing drought?
Tariq Banuri: Pakistan has witnessed a number of floods in the past several years, and long spells of drought which, experts believe, are a result of climate change. Pakistan's rain pattern is already that of high magnitude and low frequency, which means we have more rain but for a shorter time, which does not help percolation and raise the ground water level. So, climate change is causing longer spells of drought, which is complicating our water scarcity problem.
How many people died in the 2015 heat wave in South Asia?
South Asia braces for another heat wave. Megacities in South Asia are likely to face deadly heat waves this year as well, scientists have warned. At least 2,000 people died in India and 1,200 in Pakistan during a spate of extremely hot weather in 2015. (01.04.2017)
What is the most urgent problem in Pakistan?
Banuri: 'The most urgent problem in Pakistan in this regard is population growth , which reduces the average water availability every day'. In future, though, climate change will make matters worse in a number of ways. First, as mentioned above, the total quantity of water is likely to decline, thus increasing the scarcity level.
Is the Karakorum melting?
Of the three (also known as the HKH region), the glaciers in the Himalayas and the Hindukush are melting, similar to those in the rest of the world. The Karakorum, however, appears to be behaving in an anomalous manner; for example, some glaciers are stable, others are melting, and some even appear to be increasing.
When will South Asia become too hot?
Climate change could make South Asia too hot for human survival by 2100
Who is Tariq Banuri?
Dr. Tariq Banuri is the Executive Director of the Global Change Impact Study Center in Islamabad.
Will Pakistan dry up in 2025?
Also, rainfall may become more concentrated, more intense for a short period. Some experts say that Pakistan is likely to "dry up" by 2025.
When did nomadic life transition to farming?
The transition from nomadic life to farming and settlements began thousands of years ago , in areas with favorable weather and tolerable seasons. Since then, and with independent developments in other favorable places around the globe, settlement, i.e. agrarian lifestyles, have expanded with increasing populations into more marginal areas, those with poorer soil, less available water, starker growing seasons. You could sum this up by thinking of an area as having a “carrying capacity”, an idea of how much of a given form of life it will sustain.
Where do humans settle?
Humans tend to settle in areas where climate is survivable. How well they survive depends upon their adaptation and technology. Inuits would probably not survive in Bale; natives of Bali would probably not survive in the Arctic.
Does Google track your activity?
Google can (and does) track your activity across many non-Google websites and apps . That may be surprising, even if you already know that when you use Google products like Google Search, Chrome, and YouTube, they collect a shocking amount of personal information about you. Google trackers
Overview
Climate change in Pakistan is expected to cause effects on the environment and people in Pakistan. As a result of ongoing climate change, the climate of Pakistan has become prone to change over the past several decades; this trend is expected to continue into the future. In addition to increased heat, drought and extreme weather conditions in some parts of the country, the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas have impact on the some of important rivers of Pakistan…
Greenhouse gas emissions
Pakistan's GhG emissions are less than 1% of the world total, and compared to most countries' greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions per person are well below average, at under 2 tonnes per year. In 2015 GhG emissions totalled 408 million tonnes of CO2eq; of which 43% was from agriculture in Pakistan; and 46% from energy in Pakistan, such as burning fuel for heat, to power transport, and generate electricity.
Impacts on the natural environment
While the effects of climate change are highly region-specific, its can be said with a high degree of confidence that mean surface temperatures are rising and extreme weather events will increase over time. These changes will disrupt expected environmental processes and human activity. The factors thought to affect climate change can exhibit variability too. Chaotic and periodic variations have been observed over different regions of the Earth and varying spans of time.
Impacts on people
The poverty rate of Pakistan, when estimated at $2 per day purchasing power parity, exceeds 50% of the total population with stark provincial disparities. This high prevalence of poverty, coupled with the lack of and access to resources, places the country in the low human development category, ranked 146 out of 187 countries, well below the average human development index value compared to other South Asian countries.
Mitigation and adaptation
The most important targets for mitigation efforts focused on reduction of GHG emissions are the energy and agriculture sectors. In the energy sector, integration of climate change and energy policy objectives is particularly important as today's investment such as in the Thar coalfield will “lock in” the infrastructure, fuel and technologies to be used for decades to come. Similarly, the building and transport infrastructure put in place today should meet the design needs of the futu…
Society and culture
According to the BBC Climate Asia report, the majority of the Pakistani people surveyed claimed that climate change has heavily impacted their lives in the form of floods and droughts, and most importantly has affected the availability of resources such as energy and water. 53% of Pakistanis felt that their lives had become worse off than they were five years ago. Although the effects of climate change are evident, the survey found that the majority of the people were unaware of th…
See also
• Electric vehicles in Pakistan
External links
• Asian Developmental Bank Report on the Climate Change Profile of Pakistan
• Climate change in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan
• Impact of climate change in Pakistan
• IPCC Report on Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part B: Regional Aspects. Chapter 24: Asia