A frightening reality

In Pakistan, climate change is not a distant threat—it’s a present and undeniable reality, impacting lives and ecosystems alike. From devastating floods to rising temperatures, the signs are unfolding all around the country.
From the recent flash flooding in the Swat river, which swept away a tourist family, to sudden cloud bursts, record breaking heatwave and prolonged droughts, the nature seems to be furious. The violent weather events are linked to human induced climate change.
In the monsoon season of 2022, flash floods had submerged entire villages and towns, killing over 1700 people, and causing damages to the tune of about US$40 billion. The flooding was the world’s deadliest since the 2020 South Asian floods and described as the worst in the country’s history.
The current monsoon also left a trail of death and destruction. The tragic incident in Swat river, flash flooding in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, flood devastation in Punjab and Sindh provinces, melting glaciers, water shortages, deforestation, and rising pollution are calls for urgent climate action.
People living in flood-prone areas, like in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, are left defenseless every monsoon. Their homes, crops, and children are washed away—and they keep on the move on until the next disaster.
The Green Youth Movement (GYM)—a government initiative for youth-led environmental action—organizes campaigns, seminars, and plantation drives mainly to create awareness and raise defenses to tackle the growing impacts of climate change.
Every year, billions of rupees are spent on awareness sessions, posters, colorful presentations and speeches, but the recurring weather-related devastation calls for serious climate action.
The government often announces plantation drives and green campaigns, but they are mostly short-lived. Environmental laws are poorly enforced. Industrial waste pollutes rivers. Urban expansion continues without planning.
The truth is the people and the government will have to act together to ensure a safer, cleaner, and livable future. The government will have to take tangible steps—like enforcing laws, protecting forests, improving disaster response systems, and investing in climate education and renewable energy.
Communities should come together to clean their surroundings, plant trees, and help each other during emergencies.
Let’s not wait for another flood, another child to die, or another Swat to suffer. Let’s stop talking and start doing. Because nature won’t wait—and neither should we.