Climate change looms as a threat worse than ever. This year, as the monsoon draws near, the country gears up for another wave of floods. According to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, there is a 72% chance of floods again in 2023. In conditions like this, climate activism is more needed than ever, and the flag bearers need to be the youth, those who shall inherit the world tomorrow.
The waves of climate change activism and art have taken over the world. Last year, a group of young activists smeared food on the infamous Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci. The reason was to bring attention to the climate crisis that needs urgent attention. Their point seems fair, instead of protecting artworks that are worth millions to the elite, we must protect our planet which is much more precious and in imminent danger. These artworks are insured, protected by bulletproof glass, security personnel and more, yet the earth is being exploited to its last inch. This movement is called eco-vandalism, and it is raising really important conversations on the climate crisis, whether we agree on their methodologies or not.
Is climate change the responsibility of the elite? Most people think so. In my personal experience, wherever I try to deter some people from buying plastic water bottles or using plastic bags, their fingers point directly at the industrialists. Technically they are not wrong. The malpractices of the industrial sector are responsible for the majority of pollution in Pakistan. We don't need to look much beyond Karachi, our largest city in population and economic activity, and one of the most polluted areas in the world. The Malir River used to pass through the Korangi Creek area, and with it thrived lush landscapes and incredible biodiversity. With the development of the city and the Korangi Industrial Area, the river is now a dumping ground for all the toxic industrial waste. All this waste flows into the sea, also poisoning the marine life and the mangroves. Worst of all, cutting all access to fresh water for the fisherfolk and farmers who have called these shores home, for hundreds of years.
Salman Baloch is a wildlife photographer, researcher and climate change activist, who has been documenting the wildlife in Malir and has reported the damage caused in the belt for years. His work is instrumental in protecting the biodiversity of Pakistan. Pakistan Environment Protection Act requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for development projects. His work in documentation of the wildlife can aid in creating a well-rounded report that can identify the threats to local wildlife which is usually ignored.
The fact remains that the poor are the group most affected by climate change in Pakistan. Industrial activities are making wealth for the elite, consumable products for the masses, and causing irreparable damage to our delicate ecosystems. The direct affectees of the damaged ecosystems are the people who are deeply rooted in them, the various indigenous peoples of Pakistan.
As the rich turn on their ACs to escape the summer heat, the lower classes sometimes don't even have a fan to cool themselves. They used to rely on freshwater streams, green pastures and tree shades to cool themselves, but that is being taken away in the name of some development.
The Thar coal project is one such project that justifies the exploitation of land and extraction of fossil fuels in the name of progress and development. At this point, we must ask ourselves, whose development and progress are they prioritising? The majority of electricity generated from the coal will be redirected to the city. The villages in Thar will remain excluded from the benefits of this luxurious infrastructure and they will be at a worse place than they started, yet on paper this is beneficial for the locals because they are being offered jobs in the project. However, for jobs that only pay a couple of thousand rupees annually, they will lose the future of their children. As temperatures will rise more than ever because of the exploitation of fossil fuels, and floods will destroy the lands, worse than ever. The sad part is that these villagers have no choice. These mega projects will happen with or without their consent, and it seems like this small salary will at least save them from starvation, for the time being.
Eco-anxiety is a new term that is being coined by scientists. The American Psychology Association (APA) describes eco-anxiety as “the chronic fear of environmental cataclysm that comes from observing the seemingly irrevocable impact of climate change and the associated concern for one's future and that of the next generations”. While eco-anxiety is usually referred to as the feeling of general dismay concerning our planetary future, PTSD resulting from climate disasters is a very present problem. Dr Nikunj Makwana, Research Scholar, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, published research in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care about the impact of the recent floods in Pakistan on mental health. Out of the 130 affectees studied for this research, almost all of them suffered from serious PTSD as a result of the disaster. These numbers will only get worse as time goes by and more research work is done to prove the extent of mental health damage in Pakistan.
So what can artists do in the face of such a world-ending catastrophe? Artists must do what they have always done, make us feel things. Art has always been a revolutionary tool. It is for that reason that art is the foremost tool used as a means of propaganda or revolution. During World War 2, a campaign of art celebrating American Nationalism was launched to encourage more people to enlist in the military. Similarly, the Swastika was practically a Nazi branding effort. On the other hand, the Flower Power Movement of the 70s in America expressed serious yet non-violent opposition to the Vietnam War. Art was also used by the Punks in England to express the growing outrage against the ruling class and their policies. Today, this movement is immortalised in Hobi ― The Punk Rock Spiderman, in the new animated Across the Spider-Verse film, a highly beloved character on the internet. This perhaps also shows that the internet, and by extension the youth, is becoming increasingly frustrated by the politicians, capitalists and ruling class of today.
Art makes us feel things and that is what artists are responsible to do. They must make us feel the gravity of the situation that we are in right now. The planet is dying, and even if we can't feel the end in our glass towers, art should grab us by the collar and drag us out in the sun to see the utter devastation caused by human activities. We are in the endgame of the Age of Anthropocene, and if we do not reverse the damage immediately, then we will cease to exist. Ironically, our situation is much like the 880+ animal species that have gone extinct due to human activities in the last 500 years.
However, art is not only there to make us feel, it can make practical changes. As of now, fast fashion is the second largest polluter, only behind oil and petroleum. This is shocking. Human consumption of fast fashion is ridiculous. Out of millions of products that are produced and are not bought, they end up in landfills and the ocean. Most of the fast fashion products are being made in the Global South due to cheap raw materials and labour, and then also being dumped here in the disguise of second-hand/pre-loved/thrift clothing. For every lucky Zara find in Sunday Bazaar that you have, thousands and thousands of clothing articles are being dumped in landfills in Pakistan.
This is where we need to bring attention to traditional practices and how they need to be brought back. Traditional wear is highly sustainable. By traditional wear, I certainly am not referring to the hundred brands of ready-to-wear clothing in Pakistan. These brands are not much better than the likes of Zara and Shein. The textile factories where their fabrics are made and dyed have had devastating effects in Faisalabad, the textile hub of Pakistan. From water, land and air pollution, their activities have damaged the health of their labourers too, who work in inhuman conditions for dirt pay.
By traditional wear, I am referring to the local artisanal practices. Let's take an example of a Balochi dress for women. Each dress is intricately embroidered by a group of women and the embroidery takes 2-3 months to complete. If this article is not made for a member of the family, it is usually sold for a high price that justifies the effort put into the hand embroidery and stitching needed to make the dress. Considering the time it takes to make one, the effort put into it, and the cost, women have a limited wardrobe that they wear throughout their lives. That is not an issue, because the care that goes behind each article makes the quality so high, that it indeed lasts a lifetime.
Artists in Pakistan can refocus their attention on creating clothes that last long and are beautiful enough to be worn again and again. Consumers need to be more aware of their consumption and make sustainable choices instead of being tempted to buy things from fast-fashion brands. Artists and designers can also create solutions that can help the cause of climate activism. For example, New York-based Evocative Design is exploring mushroom-based material as an alternative to plastic packaging.
On 16th July 2023, the Climate March in Karachi brought together a diverse group of people. From farmers to social workers and to artists, people gathered from all walks of life at Frere Hall to demand better environmental laws that can protect all of us. Humans and nature are connected and we must fight for our rights as one. In the march, a particular performance stood out by an artist who had made a mask that was attached to a bottle backpack that had plants growing in it. It showed a very possible and gut-wrenching reality for all of us. If we don't reflect on mindless “development activity” soon, a dystopian future is not too far away, where only access to clean air can be found in bottles which would likely be sold by large corporations. Will we still not take individual responsibility then and point our fingers at them?
The writer is a visual artist and researcher. You can follow her work on instagram at @luluwa.lokhandwala
All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer