Climate change activism, much like some other cause célèbres, seems to have an image problem. Its representation in the media being left to seemingly out-of-touch NGO-types, leads some to think of the issue as something only the idle rich have the luxury to think about. Let us earn a living, say the doubters, to be able to afford to bother ourselves with such stuff.
Yet it is specifically the poor that are most vulnerable to the effects of, not just pollution in general, but also climate change. Consider the current ongoing heat wave, with the temperatures in the high 40s already. What possible advice does one dispense the working classes from our air-conditioned homes and offices? Construction workers can – if their contractor is decent – stay hydrated, but can they abide by the general ham-fisted instruction to ‘stay indoors’? What do the farmers do?
There is no single solution to the problem and no single time-frame in which to solve it either. There is the longer-term solution of trying to wean the economy in general, and transport, in particular, away from fossil fuels. Include more public transportation projects and proactively encourage the switch to electric vehicles. On the power generation front, develop more renewable energy projects, especially wind and solar. In the medium term, go on a massive tree plantation drive within the urban metros. Karachi, the concrete jungle that it is, cannot possibly provide shade to its most vulnerable citizens during the day, leading to an alarming number of heat strokes every year. If we could employ the Miyawaki method, amongst others, to go for rapid development of vegetation, its effects in terms of cooling our cities down and reducing the carbon emissions, would be worth whatever the financial cost of the same would be.
And, lastly, as a palliative measure in the meantime, the government really needs to make sure there is little or no electricity load shedding during these cruel set of months. For that, there needs to be timely procurement of furnace oil, amongst other steps.
We’re in this for the long haul. The current prime minister keeps talking about a ‘charter of economy’ to reach a minimum common consensus like the ‘charter of democracy.’ It’s time our political parties̶ and those of other countries- start signing charters of their own on the environment.
