By Abid Latif Sindhu
Is this the Kafkaesque era or Manto’s time when shared anxieties and alienations are being manifested by Anthropocene shenanigans. This seems to be the story of Rapunzel and the prince. Carried away in the high prison without a ladder to climb and a door to enter, Rapunzel magic hairs cut, and prince blinded after the fall from the tower by the sorceress.
The climate change is the modern-day sorceress of the tower, with, Rapunzel and prince the modern-day denizens of every city and the country of the world. In every mythology of the world (Chinese, Indian and Greek) there is goddess of wind, air and rain. Twenty-first century climate change is a far more complex phenomenon which can’t be solved by invoking mythological characters.
Common man is the hero and the villain of this new emerging story. Climate story of Pakistan is very interesting, less than one percent contributor is in the top ten worst hit countries of the world. But due to the total lack of awareness in masses and inept functionaries, Pakistan’s local climate priorities are resulting in loss and damages in the complete spectrum of climate wheel, if one may call it.
Climate has two facets, one is formed in oceans in the shadows of AMOC, La-Nina and al- Nino etc. Stewarded through troposphere, stratosphere and beyond. The earth’s gravity and rotation off course give the right tilt and the angle to this miracle which keeps life going since millions of years. There are three poles, north pole, south pole and the Himalayas where almost all the fresh water of the world is kept by the nature.
The second facet is very local in nature, everyone at this level is a contributor to the climate vows. Over three thousand glaciers have melted, crops are failing, quality of soil is being degraded, even Pakistan, a land of rivers is fast moving towards water scarcity. The understory of Punjab and Sindh is almost destroyed. Baluchistan range land under severe stress with failing kareez and KP facing the population explosion with diminishing resources.
Every two hours a species becomes extinct, bio-diversity collapse is just around the corner. The cities are eye soars of garbage dumps, municipal machinery unable to dispose. Arsenic poisoning is getting so common that it is almost becoming pandemic. There is no air to breath in all the major cities of Pakistan, just a degree of smog with some PM value. Forty percent children are stunted at the land of five rivers which was a food granary to the world for last three thousand years.
Rapunzel of Chenab and prince of Ravi are drowning in their own inaction. less than one percent is hundred percent for a country which is situated and located at the most ecologically sensitive zone of the earth. In most simple terms climate is all about, air, water and land. To decipher, this piece will focus on air with the rest two to follow. In Greek mythology the CHAOS was the goddess of all the air between heaven and earth. The quality of air and its cleanliness is also the basic right of every human, it being the global common at one end and the local resource at the other.
The circulation is the basic phenomenon which keeps this resource heathy for human use. The wind patterns and corridors are responsible for local circulation again at global level, the oceans and troposphere/stratosphere are the origins. If it may be called, the local atmosphere is the responsibility of state and the citizens. Pakistan’s biggest localized climate problem is smog.
There are two types of smog, Los Angeles smog and London smog (famous 1952 events). Los Angeles smog is a photochemical phenomenon caused by vehicle emission and has its origin in nitrogen oxides. The London smog is due to the burning of coal, crop residue and biochar. It produces Sulphur dioxide. Usually, countries are suffering from either of the smog, Beijing is an example. Ironically Punjab and particularly Lahore is suffering from both Los Angeles and London smog simultaneously.
The coal burning in 200 power generation plants in India, especially Indian Punjab is playing havoc. The 1100-coal power producing plants of China is giving some of the black carbon to northern areas, resulting in the melting of glaciers. What all is there in smog. It is all chemistry gone wrong. A diabolic mix of GHG (greenhouse gases). CO2, CH4 ,N2O,CO,SO2,VOC(volatile organic compounds), PM10 and PM2.5(particulate matter). A cocktail and chicken soup of the poisonous concoction. The nitrogen dioxide when reacts with sunlight and its UV spectrum converts into nitrogen oxide and ground level ozone.
This ground level ozone is the bane of Lahore causing lungs and cardiovascular diseases due to enhanced oxidation under ozone. Smog decrease crop yield due to necrosis and chlorosis in plant stem. As per the estimate around 30% crops will be affected yearly if the trend continues. The soil is also immensely degraded by Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide as contained in smog.
This causes acidification of soil, altering the PH value, thereby resulting in a vicious cycle of putting more nitrogen base fertilizers by the farmer, hence more acidification, smog and ground ozone and this goes on and on. The other reason of Lahore suffering the most is due to sort of anti-cyclone and inversion, when all the wind stops. Smog in Punjab is the repetitive tale of three cities. The inner circle most affected is Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Lahore. Then is Multan, Bahawalpur and Rahimyar khan. Even Islamabad, Peshawar and valley in between are also the part of same tale. Who will fight this war, the baboos, the policy makers or the foreign experts who will give western theories to the problems of the east?
Smog of Lahore has now become an international crisis requiring climate diplomacy between India, Pakistan and China along all other regional players. Lahore smog like Los Angeles and London smog is the third international phenomenon. It is taking over complete Pakistan. This has gone far beyond the panacea of artificial rain or small steps of environmental play book. There is a need to devise a strategic plan covering every aspect to be corrected and remember, these are not just few but an infinite chain which ends with the sorceress at the lone tower of climate change.
The writer is a freelance contributor on security-related issues. He is also a PhD scholar who can be reached at [email protected]
