Global warming has given rise to many unprecedented challenges that have never before been tackled at such a tremendous scale. One of the more frightening aspects of this is increased vulnerability to severe drought-like conditions worldwide. While countries near the equator are reeling from severe droughts that have impacted 55 billion people worldwide, Africa seems to be worst affected with 11.7 million people having died for drought-related reasons between 1900 and 2019. The US and Europe too have suffered economically and lost $250 billion and $27 billion respectively. Civil society organisations paint a bleak picture of the future. The UN has warned that droughts may affect more than three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050 while Unicef fears one in four children to live in drought-hit regions by 2040.
It is no surprise that Pakistan is among the top 23 countries facing a major drought emergency. Local reports reveal that the Indus Delta has shrunk by a staggering 92% to only 1,000 sq-km. The cascading effects of severe droughts have already taken a toll on the vulnerable population. The situation disproportionately affects communities, with farmers, women, youth and indigenous groups — who have limited access to dwindling resources — suffering the most. With land rapidly deteriorating and becoming barren, thousands of livelihoods will be destroyed and lower-income communities will be forced to live in a state of constant survival. Moreover, agricultural productivity will significantly decrease and food insecurity coupled with acute hunger will exacerbate.
While World Bank and UNDP are continuously working with Pakistan’s climate change ministry to mitigate the effects, short-term initiatives that look good on paper will not have a significant impact. This is because stakeholders have grossly underestimated the scale of the crisis. Unprecedented challenges cannot be met with outdated reforms. They need to be tackled through new development schemes that accounts for resilience and predicts future patterns.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2022.
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