36% of Pakistan’s Glaciers Predicted to Melt by the End of this Century

Our glaciers are disappearing at an alarming rate due to climate change and according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, USA, 36% of Pakistan’s glaciers will disappear by 2100.

Experts made these remarks at an interactive public awareness seminar planned by the Department of Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, Ziauddin University, titled “Global Warming to Global Warning – A Social Justice Seminar on Climate Change” at Ziauddin University, on Thursday.

The objective of the event was to raise awareness about climate change and its impact. The event had presentations, talks, motivational speeches and awareness sessions by well-known experts, including social activist and journalist Afia Salam, Coordinator for Climate Change Pledge for University of York Law School UK, Stephen Levitt, advocate Ali Lakhani, and lecturer Ziauddin University Eric Sharoon Shahzar.

Experts stated;

By 2050, we shall expect droughts. As half of Balochistan is already gripped by drought and Pakistan’s population is already expected to be the 4th largest by 2030, food insecurity would also be at its peak. By now six out of 10 people are already food insecure In Pakistan.

In Sindh, 90 percent of water is already arsenic, whereas in Punjab’s groundwater is declining at startling rates. Biggest signs of acceleration to climate are rising above sea levels, heatwaves, wildfires, floods and disappearing of glaciers.

World leaders have declared climate change as the most dangerous threat to humanity. In the early 1900, burning fossil fuels produced about two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and today the number is nearly 20 times greater, which is frightening, stressing and alarming for us. As populations and economies grow, carbon emissions grow too. Unluckily, the future generations will remember us by the age of “climate crisis” carried out by the speakers.

Environment pollution, plastic pollution and air pollution is making the situation even worse. Annually, worldwide 60,000 people die due to air pollution. Pakistan quickly needs to stop deforestation. As per UN’s standards, countries must have a forest cover of at least 25 percent but Pakistan is a country with extreme low forest cover which is only 1.9 percent.

The speakers said that to resolve the climate change issue, the country needed to develop solar plants and wind energy as we have 994km coastline and we can also work on water desalination.