First, not only is Pakistan a country with huge data deficiencies, it also lacks a culture where evidence is based on data. In simple words, we don’t consider evidence because we don’t care about it. Any example? Back-to-back floods in 2010, 2011 and 2012 followed by a drought last year, is a clear confirmation of the changing climate. Some of these extreme events were predicted, but these predictions fell on deaf ears.
Second, climate change never was, nor is a priority. The Ministry of Climate Change, which was reinstated in January 2015, was not even in the picture for two years from 2013 to 2015. The climate change ministry’s budget was slashed by 50 per cent, from Rs135 million in 2012 to Rs58.8 million in 2013. This year, 21 projects of the Ministry of Environment were rejected to divert funds to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, out of which seven were primarily related to climate change.
Third, we are unwilling to accept climate change because accepting it would create responsibilities and we’re not ready to take on any responsibilities yet. We look for scapegoats, and while doing so, we let the situation worsen. A very recent example of this is of the heatwave in Karachi, where the blame game went to the highest level. Some authorities even went to the extent of blaming the victims for not taking precautions. (If only they had known what precautions to take!) There was also the absurd statement indicating the linkage of Indian coal plants in triggering this event.
Read more at The Need to Acknowledge Climate Change
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