An encouraging thing about climate change and global warming today is the growing awareness and concern at the global level. Scientific circles are being listened to, but concrete steps are still far from taking place as a result of this realization. America’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under Trump’s presidency is a setback for serious efforts, but it is also a testament to the lobbying and financial interests of the coal and other hydrocarbon industries.About thirteen years ago when I was enrolled in Bachelors, there was a lot of debate in scientific circles about environmental pollution, the harms of plastic and its solutions or alternatives. In those days, while work was being done on the creation of biodegradable plastic, new methods of destroying plastic were being tried. These days, a special thought regarding biodegradable plastics has been observed and heard and read many times.
The thinking was that although it is not particularly difficult to make biodegradable plastics, the costs involved make them quite expensive compared to conventional plastics. At the time, it was hoped that over time, as production increased, cost reductions would automatically follow. Although it is relatively cheap to make biodegradable plastics today compared to the past, it is not so much that it can be a cheaper alternative to conventional plastics. And this is the reason why biodegradable plastics have not been promoted worldwide till date as expected.Last year, plastic bags were banned in many parts of the country. Although the application of this restriction is in some places partial, in some places non-existent, but still something is better than nothing. If you ask an average citizen today about the plastic ban, the majority will rant about inflation and the high cost of biodegradable bags. Their suspicion is quite right, because no one has tried to explain to them why this plastic should not be used and what are its implications. Just a royal decree came and the government realized that the use of plastic became obsolete. Remember that awareness is more lasting and effective than commands.
This ban is partial on plastic use, as plastic is used in the packaging of almost all products, from soft drink bottles and chocolates to chips, pops and biscuits. If you’ve ever taken your kids shopping, you’ll know that a plastic bag is just one, while there’s plenty of plastic in the form of wrappers and packets. It is important to address them as well.
Environmental pollution is a serious and serious problem and its seriousness is two-fold for a country like Pakistan. Pakistan’s inclusion in the ten countries badly affected by climate change has been mentioned so many times in writing and speech that it has now become a ‘cliché’ according to the English idiom. It is true that the rapidly growing population, the effects of climate change, water scarcity, internal and external security concerns of the state and the economic crisis, all together have not left enough room for the government to do any work.
But this does not mean that we cannot do the work that we are capable of. For example, to make the people aware of environmental pollution, to spread the integral concepts like health and cleanliness and above all to anticipate and plan the problems that will be faced in the future. The resources of air, water and food have been exhausted. When air pollution appears in the form of smog every winter, everyone from the Prime Minister to the pedestrian on a road becomes intensely concerned. In some places the factories are blamed and in some places the farmers are considered guilty.Big initiatives are promised. But as soon as this smog clears, everyone from top to bottom gets engrossed in their routine like ‘Ankh Ojhal Pahar Ojhal’. Thanks to the kindness of a former Chief Justice, we came to know that there is a shortage of water in Pakistan and we need to build a dam to overcome this shortage. But have any of us ever bothered to think that until the dam is built, at least we should try to stop the wastage of water in our house? Speaking of food, in every house no one likes okra, no one wants to eat tende and no one complains about dal.
No one thinks how much labor it takes to get an eggplant or a pumpkin from seed to your plate, how many families are employed. (Though we all have read many times that Pakistan is an agricultural country with forty percent of its population directly engaged in agriculture).
If we talk about determining the responsibility, then the first and the biggest responsibility is the government. From legislation to implementation, the responsibility of the government comes on time. Because whenever a problem arises, it is not the people but the authorities and the administration that have to deal with it. The work of the government is not only to reduce the severity of this problem now, but also to prevent it in the future.For the past seventy years, we have been engaged in ungratefulness of our natural resources. Gratitude for these blessings given by Allah is not limited to worship, nor is it enough to simply say “Ya Allah tera Shukr hai”. In fact, the real gratitude for these blessings is their protection. Use them carefully and keep them in good condition for future generations.
