Climate Change and

Violent Conflicts:
Pakistan
Content:
Introduction

Primary Reason for Climate Change

Violent Conflicts caused by Climate Change

Effects of Climate Change

Security Threats posed by Climate change

Resource Scarcity and Massive Flooding

Pakistan Vulnerability threats to Climate Change

Pakistan Interventions towards Climate Change

 Introduction

Rising sea level, melting

Changing patterns of Like rise to global snow and ice burgs,
weather warming extreme storms, rain fall
and extreme heat events.
Reasons for Deforestation
Climate Change
Urbanization

Human Activities

Industrial Emissions

Extreme Heat Events

Illustration for Climate Change

• Pakistan has one of the

fastest growing populations
in the world and is highly
vulnerable to climate
change.
• Overpopulation with poorly
planned urbanization and
technological development is
putting urgent stress on the
environment.
 Violent
Conflicts caused
by Climate Change
 In Pakistan, solid fuel available to
most of the rural population
Net forest depletion and net
produces several times more
resource depletion are increasing in
particulate matter than nonsolid
Pakistan, ultimately leading to
fuel, which inducts environmental
climate change.
conflicts and costs several billion
dollars.
Pakistan is one of the top 10 most
sensitive countries on the Climate Social
Vulnerability Index.

Ten thousand climate-related

catastrophe deaths due to climatic
changes.

Moreover, bore $4 billion in economic

losses from 173 extreme weather
conditions in the last 20 years.
Climate change causes conflicts over natural resources like water.

Floods, heat waves, and tsunamis may also inflame conflicting

factions.

These situations would threaten Pakistan and any

administration trying to avert climate calamities.

Pakistan's scorching temperatures have destroyed orchards and

wheat supply, hurting small farmers and making some fertile
land useless.
Effect of Climate Change

Housing; Agriculture and Livestock;

Pakistani government, which has and Transport and
Almost 8 million people had to leave
declared a state of emergency, more Communications sectors suffered the
their homes and are now homeless
than 33 million people have been most significant damage, at USD
or living in emergency shelters.
affected by the floods. 5.6 billion, USD 3.7 billion, and USD
3.3 billion, respectively.
• People are fighting for their lives by
stealing food and other necessities of life
in order to keep themselves alive. Women
have suffered notable losses of their
livelihoods, particularly those associated
with agriculture and livestock.

The PDNA Human Impact Assessment

highlights that the national poverty rate
may increase by 3.7 to 4.0 percentage
points, potentially pushing between 8.4
and 9.1 million more people below the
poverty line.
Frequency of events
because of climate
change in Pakistan
reported on
international level
from 1990-2014
People cross the Swat River after flash
floods in Swat, northwest Pakistan, on 5
September 2022. Climate scientists say
that while this year’s catastrophic
flooding across the country has been
compounded by flash flooding in some
northern districts, it occurred mainly
because of torrential monsoon rains in
Sindh and Balochistan, in the south of the
country.
 • There might be substantial economic losses for
Pakistan as a result of the climate-related
Security security challenges, both direct and indirect.

threats • Pakistan's growing population and the resulting

depletion of its resources are causing migratory
posed by crises and creating security challenges in many
different ways.
Climate
Change • Climate change, rising inflation, and political
instability in Pakistan spell calamity.

• There is a growing possibility that these

developments would trigger climate-induced
migration from rural regions to urban centers
in Pakistan as people flee the country's unstable
rural economy in search of better
job opportunities and more secure dwellings.
 Resource Scarcity
and Massive Flooding
Pakistan connects climate change to resource shortages, violent
conflicts, bitter disputes and civil unrest.

Conflicts in Pakistan are exacerbated by the country's already

precarious socioeconomic situation, which includes a lack of
resources, a persistent food shortage, and wildly fluctuating
prices for essentials like gasoline etc.

New difficulties may arise due to resource scarcity brought on by

climate change, as Pakistan competes to ensure sufficient supplies
for their own people, which may have unintended consequences
for neighbouring developing countries Such as India.
 • More frequent and severe rains in catchment
regions and subsequent floods cause large dams
to silt up.

• Pakistan • Poor air quality via agribusiness, transport,

and industry causes haze, which harms
Vulnerability aviation, transportation, visibility, and health.

threats to • Climate change and health issues drove

migration.
Climate Water resource sharing tension between upland
Change
•
and lower riparian zones.

• Due to fast climate change, plant species and

animal habitats cannot migrate naturally,
resulting in further forest cover loss.
 Pakistan Interventions
towards Climate Change
• The Government of Pakistan, in partnership with other organizations,
is taking the following actions to mitigate the effects of climate
change on water resources, agricultural production, human and
animal health, forest management, and ecosystems:

• Make sure the country's current irrigation infrastructure is quickly

repaired, remodeled, and upgraded so it can withstand the effects of
severe weather climate change brings.

• The govt. is creating compact dams for water storage and flood
control. Also, Improving national capabilities in remote sensing and
GIS for tracking glacier and snow cover changes over time.

• The Pakistani government uses laser land levelling, crop diversity,

optimum cropping patterns, and optimal planting dates to enhance
agriculture operations.
• They are also campaigning to deploy suitable technology for micro-
irrigation, water recycling, and rainwater collection.

• Prioritize land tenure issues in forest regions in conjunction with local

populations to streamline adaption measures and facilitate
professional leadership for improved forest management.
• Pakistan Forest Management Authority is establishing efficient
procedures to protect forest-dependent vulnerable communities.

All relevant Climate change organizations' ministers, administrations,

and departments should also develop strategies and programmes to
execute the policy requirements related to their respective fields.
References
• Quratull ain Abbas, Ahsan Riaz, June 2021, Climate Change and
Emergence of violent Conflicts.
• Faizan Ali, Tooba Asim Khan, 29 November 2018, Climate
Change-Induced Conficts in Pakistan: From National to Individual
Level.
• IFRC, 27 August2022, Sea-like flood waters ravage Pakistan; affecting
millions of people.
• The World Bank, 28, OCTOBER 2022, Pakistan: Flood Damages and
Economic Losses Assessment.
• P M Baigal, 27 April 2016, Climate change brings severe risks to
northern Pakistan.
Thank
You