Forest Fires Burnt Over 100,000 Native Chilgoza Trees At Koh-e-Sulaiman Range

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Apr, 2023 ) :The unprecedented heatwave flamed massive forest fires across the country whereas the fires at the Koh-e-Sulaiman Range of Balochistan brunt over 100,000 native chilgoza trees that used to give annual earning of Rs 3 billion of pine nut harvest.

Despite a meager overall contribution to greenhouse gases, Pakistan is greatly affected by climate threats including water stress, desertification, glacier melting, extreme weather events and the spread of diseases, a Ministry of Climate Change document available with APP said.

These threats pose severe challenges to Pakistan in terms of ecology, agriculture, economic development and sustainability with no significant or visual benefits.

Pakistan became the epicenter of climate-induced disasters in 2022 which included the worst heat wave events as well as the forest fires in Balochistan. Jacobabad, Nawabshah and Sibi have emerged among the top hottest places in the world with average temperatures recording five degrees Celsius higher than normal.

Increasing temperatures cause high evaporation and land degradation, reducing soil moisture and agricultural productivity, as witnessed in the case of the mango crop this year. Glacial melt from high temperatures and earthquakes can worsen monsoon floods and cause landslides in the northern mountains resulting in significant economic losses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir Fires bring, devastating impacts in the form of economic losses, destruction of trees, and smoke in the air causing environmental complications. These fires cause escalation in temperature that ultimately threatens human lives severely. The lengthy heat wave across the country has aggravated forest fires and the number and frequency of forest fires this year is worrying, and directly linked to climate stress.

Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries in the world most impacted by the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES). The Combined risks from the intensification of climate change and environmental degradation, unless addressed, will further aggravate Pakistan's, economic fragility; and could ultimately reduce annual GDP by 18 to 20 percent per year by 2050.

However, Government of Pakistan has proactively taken initiatives to address the climatic impacts to turn the Challenges into opportunity. These included investment in climate project and environment friendly initiatives (Ten billion tree tsunami project, recharge Pakistan initiative, protected areas initiative and the target to shift 60% of our energy mix to renewable energy sources. Moreover, the country got recognition at global level as a climate leader.

According to German Watch (Global Climate Risk Index annual report for 2020), Pakistan has been ranked globally in the top ten countries most affected by climate change in the past 20 years owing to its geographical location. Pakistan has lost 0.53 percent per unit GDP, suffered economic losses worth US$ 3792.52 million and witnessed 152 extreme weather events from 1999 to 2018.

UN-ESCAP report, "Pathways to Adaptation and Resilience in South and Southwest Asia" (2022) also warns Pakistan with the following anticipated climate related losses: Estimated economic losses (9.1% of GDP), increase in maximum number of dry days; Effects on agricultural production (77% effected); Exposure of most vulnerable groups (women, children and elderly) to climate changes triggering child-malnourishment.

In 2022, Pakistan experienced its worst ever flooding experience with more than 33 million people affected, 1700 dead and 1/3rd of the country under water. The immediate causes of the floods were heavier than usual monsoon rains and melting glaciers that followed a severe heat wave, both of which are linked to climate change.

The flooding was the world's deadliest flood since the 2020 South Asian floods and was described as the worst in the country's history. Sixty-six districts have been officially declared to be 'calamity hit' by the Government of Pakistan � 31 in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and three in Punjab.

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