HUMAN beings have reached several mental milestones and achieved immense progress. However, along with this material rise of humanity, the negative effects are harming us like a double-edged sword. Everyone is well aware of the increase in global temperatures due to air pollution. This is a common understanding that doesn’t require much intellect or wisdom to grasp. Those with insight can clearly see the writing on the wall; the unnatural pattern of climate change due to the rise in heat is evident.
Forests, which were once abundant due to frequent rainfall, are now facing destruction due to drought, while in barren areas, the rising temperatures have led to the recurrence of emergency situations. On the other hand, snow is now falling in places where the inhabitants were previously unfamiliar with it. Due to global warming, the northern ice reserves are melting rapidly, which is why the intensity of floods in our region has been gradually increasing over the past few years.
According to the United Nations, global warming is a plan for destruction, and the time has come for meaningful action to address the losses caused by the climate crisis, especially in developing countries. This is happening at just 1.2 degrees of global warming and we are heading towards more than 3 degrees. Most of the greenhouse gas emissions that are raising the Earth’s temperature come from developed countries.
So, governments must fulfill their financial commitments to the developing world, and historical polluters must morally compensate for the damage. Pakistan has been experiencing this situation for many years, where destruction caused by floods and a deteriorating economy have had extraordinary effects. The international community must support Pakistan openly.
Climate change and the rehabilitation of flood victims require the help of global partners, without which Pakistan cannot recover from such a massive disaster. This also indicates that if the factors causing climate change are not stopped, the situation in poor and developing countries will become uncontrollable. No other country can prevent such large-scale destruction. This year, Pakistan is facing flood situations again due to heavy rains. The world must create a coordinated system to help the people of Pakistan who are currently facing this difficulty. A country that contributes far less to carbon dioxide emissions relative to its share and has been caught in this environmental disaster due to the corporate greed of large companies in the developed world should be helped out of this crisis by those responsible for it.
The top ten countries contributing the most to carbon dioxide emissions globally include the United States at the forefront. It is followed by China in second place, Russia in third, Japan in fourth, our neighboring country India in fifth, Germany in sixth, the United Kingdom in seventh, Canada in eighth, South Korea in ninth, and Italy in tenth place.
The United States alone accounts for 24 percent of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions, European countries account for 14 percent, and China 13 percent. Meanwhile, the worst effects are being borne by developing countries like Pakistan. The impacts of climate change and the floods in Pakistan are deeply interconnected, and this serves as a warning to the entire world that if a developing country like Pakistan can be severely affected by climate change, then the developed countries, which play a fundamental role in these changes, could also be impacted by them in the future.
—The writer is a contributing columnist based in Faisalabad.
