Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Table of Contents
Across Pakistan, the effects of climate change and environmental degradation are hitting
communities hard. A shortage of water is being deeply felt by both urban and farming
populations. Just a few months ago, farmers from the town of Kharo Chan in Sindh marched on
foot to Thatta — the old capital of the province located about 100 kilometers away — to protest
decreasing levels of water in the Indus River. In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, environmentalists
based in Peshawar are sounding the alarm over rising levels of pollution brought on by smoke
emitting industrial units and stone crushing plants operating in the city’s Hayatabad area. In
Punjab, Lahore has seen dangerously high levels of smog, causing respiratory issues, allergies
and headaches.
Pakistani on Friday joined thousands of demonstrators around the world to protest the worsening
climate and the government’s lack of response to handle the potential catastrophe.
The protesters, who rallied in 26 cities, including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, across
the country, demanded that the government take emergency measures to curb climate
degradation.
Pakistan has been listed as the seventh most vulnerable country to be affected by climate change.
The impact of climate change is at highpoint with growing weather concerns including heat
According to a report by the Asia Development Bank, the number of heatwaves in Pakistan has
In Karachi, a large number of people took to streets at Frere Hall. Activist Sheema Kermani said
that everyone should be involved in the event “because it (climate change) is going to affect us
all”.
Fearing for their future, Karachi's youth march against climate change
Under a blistering Friday sun, a large group of Karachiites — mostly young students — gathered
at the city's iconic Frere Hall armed with placards and slogans to join millions across the world
Mahum Moazzam, a student at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, described a
"crippling fear" that she might not get to fulfill her dream of being an architect one day.
"It's that fear that wants me to be a part of this activity and make sure that our voices are heard,"
she said.
Moazzam hoped the march would make government officials sit up, take note and enact a "green
Pakistan has been the eighth most affected country by the impact of weather-related events
between 1998 and 2017, according to the ‘Global Climate Risk Index, 2019’.
Karachi, in particular, has become increasingly aware of the impact of extreme weather
conditions.
In 2015, the city experienced a severe heat wave that resulted in over 1,200 deaths. It was
described as the deadliest heat wave Pakistan had seen in over 50 years. Since then, the
Thousands of Pakistanis in all major cities joined millions of people in worldwide protests
calling for action against climate change and demanding their governments take urgent steps to
With the aim to save Earth from the worst effects of climate change, thousands of social and
(NGO) members and government officials held climate change marches in all big cities of the
country and demanded that the government declare a climate emergency, adopt a low-carbon
In Islamabad, the march started from the National Press Club and culminated at D-Chowk
Parade Ground, where the protesters handed over their demands to the government authorities.
The participants were holding banners and placards and demanded that the government declare
COUNTRY-WIDE CLIMATE MARCH 7
climate emergency in the country wherein a revised national climate change policy should be
drafted and citizens should become part of the decision making process.
Speakers on the occasion demanded a global coalition where developed countries are held
accountable for abetting the climate crisis. The marchers also called for adaptation of a low-
carbon economy and ensure grass-root level climate adaptation efforts. They demanded
transformative actions to respond to climate crisis, developmental actions to mitigate the climate
REFRENCES:
Atika, R. (2019, September Friday). Pakistanis are marching to combat climate change. Pakistan.
Daily, T. (2019, September Friday). Pakistan joins millions across globe in climate change march. Karachi,
Sindh, Pakistan.
News, T. D. (2019, September Friday). Climate March: Pakistanis join world to save Earth. Karachi,
Sindh , Pakistan .
Sana, A. (2019, September Friday). Fearing for their future, Karachi's youth march against climate
change. Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.