Climate Change in Pakistan: Assessing risks, adaptation and mitigation strategies

Bushra Maryam; Muhammad Nafees; Suneela Raza; Farooq Ahmad Khan Laghari; Anosha Sultan

Authors

Bushra Maryam Author
Muhammad Nafees Author
Suneela Raza Author
Farooq Ahmad Khan Laghari Author
Anosha Sultan Author

Keywords:

Climate Change, Risks, Adaptation, Mitigation, Pakistan, Public Perceptions

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the perceived risks of climate change in Pakistan, the awareness and adaptation practices among the people, and to determine mitigation measures. The study also considers how effective government policies are and how willing people are to make lifestyle changes to deal with challenges that are based on climate. Quantitative research design was used with a structured questionnaire online. The findings show that awareness of climate change is very high, with 88.6 % of respondents being aware of the issue and 80 % of the respondents believing that the problem is severe or very severe. The highest risks were noted to be water scarcity (71.4 %), floods (62.9 %), and heatwaves (57.1 %). Other popular adaptation practices included tree plantation (42.9%), water conservation (37.1%) but renewable energy adoption was low (11.4%). Most (51.4%) people considered government policies to be ineffective, but 85.7% were ready to change their lifestyles to reduce climate change. The role of the government as the key player in solving climate problems was also highlighted by the respondents with NGOs and communities as secondary players.

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