Pakistan in Existential Crisis

Let us bury the myth that climate change will spare us a few more decades to prepare. It is already at our doorstep, knocking, ready to barg...

Let us bury the myth that climate change will spare us a few more decades to prepare. It is already at our doorstep, knocking, ready to barge in. Today it ravages mountains and deserts; tomorrow it will descend upon the plains. 

Written By Hamdah Tahir

When you hear the term existential crisis, what comes to mind? What could possibly threaten the very existence of Pakistan? India, our long-time adversary? Israel, the supposed conspirator? The dynastic politicians of PDM? PTI, branded as fascist? Unfortunately, none of them. Unfortunately, because had the threat been one of these, we at least had the awareness and tools to resist. But the crisis we face is neither glorified nor condemned with the same passion. Then who is this silent adversary? The Establishment? Not even. It is something larger than all of them combined. It is climate change.

Oh, climate change? Does it sound like I may have exaggerated? After all, we vaguely remember reading about it in science textbooks, something that felt like a myth, or at best, a reality reserved for centuries in the future. Yet here we are, witnessing our world collapsing. Or are we even witnessing it, when it barely makes its way into mainstream headlines? Yes, we are living through it.

Take Cholistan, for instance. This year, it became a tragic victim of climate change. The deadly heatwave that was expected in July arrived as early as May, hitting an unprepared and defenseless population. Cholistan is a desert without agricultural farming; its very lifeline is cattle. And yet, 75 years after Pakistan’s inception, there is still no water pipeline bringing clean water to its people, just as in countless rural areas. The masses survive by storing rainwater in man-made reservoirs called kund. But this year, with no rainfall and an advanced heatwave, Cholistan was left utterly helpless.

A habitat of 200,000 people and 1.3 million animals had no water. Can you imagine the scale of devastation? Entire communities traveling 30–40 kilometers every day to fetch water. Many collapsing, many dying along the way. With no rain, no water, and dying livestock, how are these people supposed to sustain their lives? Inevitably, they will be forced to migrate to cities, feeding yet another global concern: rapid, unsustainable urbanization.

But will this migration solve anything? Imagine climate disaster spreading from remote deserts and villages until it engulfs the cities too.

Climate change also struck Balochistan with force. The world’s largest Chilgoza forest was engulfed in a fire that raged for two weeks before authorities could finally contain it. A fire in the Chilgoza forest? In Balochistan? It may sound distant, abstract, even irrelevant. But it is not and it should not feel so. That inferno wiped out nearly 50% of the forest. Centuries-old trees, gone in days. To restore them, if we even succeed, would take half a century. That means at least five generations will inherit the burden of this one disaster.

Have you paused to consider what these trees meant? They were guardians of the ecosystem, holding its fragile balance. They shielded us from floods; now, without them, floods will grow fiercer. They absorbed the impact of global warming; without them, we are left even more vulnerable. And as they burned, they released massive amounts of greenhouse gases, accelerating the very crisis that caused their destruction.

It doesn’t end there. The economic cost is also staggering. With 50% of Chilgoza trees gone, our exports of this prized nut will plummet. Once again, whether directly or indirectly, you and I are victims of climate change. And as time passes, the damage will only grow more visible.

So let us bury the myth that climate change will spare us a few more decades to prepare. It is already at our doorstep, knocking, ready to barge in. Today it ravages mountains and deserts; tomorrow it will descend upon the plains. The question remains, staring us in the face: are we ready to confront this existential crisis? Or will we remain passive, watching as climate change inhabits our world and makes life unbearable on earth?

With almost no media coverage and silence from political leaders, it is painfully clear that neither the state nor its institutions have acknowledged the threat, let alone crafted policies to combat it. This August, as we celebrate independence, plant a tree for your homeland. Plant a tree to sustain freedom. Plant a tree to protect survival itself. Because it is only when we move, that institutions are compelled to act.

Our voices matter. Awareness begins with us. If the media won’t speak, if politicians won’t debate, and if institutions remain asleep, then the responsibility falls on us to awaken ourselves and our people. It is only when the masses are loud and aware, that the ruling elite chooses to bend.