Baltistan is home to natural beauty and is a well-known tourist destination globally. The region is surrounded by three important mountain ranges i.e. Karakorum, Himalayas, and Hindu Kush. The region is bordered by the Wakhan strip (Afghanistan) and Xinjiang to the north, Indian-occupied Kashmir to the South and South East, and Chitral (KPK) to the West. The Hindu Kush region in the north separates the Yasin and Ishkuman valleys in the Ghizer district from the Wakhan corridor.

In 2024, GLOF events devastated Skardu and Sermik Nullah, displacing locals and damaging homes, livestock, and fields, highlighting GB’s vulnerability to climate change.

Gilgit Baltistan was seen as a gateway to the Subcontinent (also called United India) and the fulcrum of Asia. To secure the region, the British Empire deployed strict security on the northern front to prevent the Russian advances through Pamir and the Hindu Kush into Chitral and Gilgit. The Indus River, the longest river in Pakistan, enters into the Kharmang district in Gilgit-Baltistan from where it flows it flows through the length and breadth of Pakistan.

The pristine valleys of GB attract millions of national and international tourists every year. The glacier bodies not only support lives in the mountains and people in down cities of Pakistan but also the source of power production, fuels the economy by supporting Pakistan’s major exporting sector i.e. Agriculture (About. 68% of the population is engaged in farming directly or indirectly ).

Gilgit-Baltistan has been experiencing worse implications of climate change from changing weather patterns to the Glacier Lakes outburst floods, from land sliding, and mudflow to the extremely soaring heat waves. Climatic change is a profound and complex modification of the Earth’s climate system. Temperature, precipitation patterns, and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events all change over time.

The region becomes completely paralyzed after every devastating flood turning homes and fields in the mountains into debris, barren and deserted lands. According to the UNDP report around 7000 glaciers are present in GB which is the highest number in any region of the world other than the polar region. GB hosts around 3,044 glacier lakes out of which 34 glacier lakes are prone to hazardous glacier lake outburst floods.

The GLOF events have adverse effects on the region’s vital infrastructure like the Karakorum Highway that connects GB with other parts of Pakistan via land and Juglot Skardu road, the road that is already prone to unprecedented land sliding, rock falling, and mud flows, have been the frequent target of GLOF events leading to major supply chain disruptions and suspends intercity mobility. The economic implications of GLOF events never let the region come out of poverty and backwardness.

Gilgit-Baltistan hosts over 7,000 glaciers, with 34 glacier lakes at risk of outburst floods, threatening lives, infrastructure, and livelihoods.

The government of Gilgit-Baltistan considers climate change as a major impediment to economic growth. In 2022, floods caused the loss of 17 lives and Rs 7,406 million in economic losses, damaging homes, agriculture fields, livestock etc. across GB. Unfortunately, GB has neither a revenue generation structure nor receives any climate funds from the federal to finance climate change catastrophes also in case of any climate emergency, the government’s lack of actions and absence from the actual affected areas is evidence that the Government has not yet considered climate change as the major threat and matter of survival for the region.

In 2024 GLOF events in Burg e Nullah in the vicinity of Skardu City where GLOF devastated homes, livestock, fields, and people’s belongings.  The government’s late response and lack of action caused greater devastation and people were deprived of their homes, forcing them to live in the open air with no support. Also, Kariko and Kurako areas in Sermik Nullah, 50 km away from Skardu city, faced devastating flash floods that destroyed homes and fields of downtrodden people who have been already living under miserable conditions with the least resources equal to none.

Other than the GLOF event, the change in weather patterns over time has been a growing concern for locals as water flow downstream in the valleys of GB is becoming scarce at the start of spring when their fields and plants require water. The water flow disruptions downstream valleys cause a huge impact on the overall agriculture productivity of the region.GB has nearly 2% cultivable land out of its total area of 72,971 Km. In Gilgit Baltistan above 80% population engages in subsistence farming by which cereal crops, fruits, vegetables, and fodders for livestock are produced.

GB is food deficient and more than 50% of its food staples including wheat comes from down cities of Pakistan. Mountain glaciers of the region are around 30% of the total and 40% is under seasonal snow cover that is at the brink of melting and diminished by climate change. Variations in water flow in rivers and other water bodies may impact the agriculture production and fisheries sector in the region. Wheat, Maize, and Barley as basic food staples for the human population and fodder for livestock are major parts of the rural economy.

Tourism growth in GB contributes to ecological degradation, demanding sustainable development policies to protect the region’s delicate ecosystem.

Another sector is livestock which has been under the direct effect of climate change, Livestock is an important component of the farming system, and it accounts for 40% of the household’s farm income. Animals such as bulls and yaks are still used as alternatives to mechanization in rural areas of GB especially where roads and transport access are not available due to challenging and steep terrain.  Problems arise due to acute shortage of fodder supply during late winter and early spring.

Livestock during this period become thinner and undernourished due to the low nutritional value of dry fodder. The under-nourishment in animals is a major cause of low milk, meat, and wool production; as well as low immunity levels of animals against viral and bacterial diseases. The seasonal movements of livestock depend on the weather pattern which again is affected and altered by climate change. The impact of climate change on alpine pastures is yet another concern as it diminishes vegetation, reposition of water resources, and persistent fear of sudden climate disasters.

Another sector adversely affected by climate change is the forest, nearly 4% of the total land in GB is covered by natural forest, while agroforestry constitutes only 6% of the total area of GB. The rapidly growing population, commercialization, and illegal deforestation cuts the forest areas short and threaten the natural ecosystem of GB.

Tourism in GB has been a growing sector where corporate sectors are investing at large with no focus and care about ecology. Tourism is both sensitive to and a contributor to climate change responsible for 5% of global carbon dioxide emissions. With growing commercial markets, trade roads like CPEC, and tourism, GB’s delicate ecosystem is on the verge of degeneration.

Climate change affects agriculture and livestock in GB, with water scarcity and fodder shortages undermining food security and rural livelihoods.

The policies of government and community-level cooperation and integration have been a big question mark. Government consistent support for opening the region for any investment with zero attention toward the region’s delicate ecosystem demonstrates a level of preparedness and seriousness on the government’s part.

Any corporate or enterprise in the tourism sector must be welcome with fair investment in sustainable development in the region and aiming to finance climate change in the region. Local communities, elders, educational institutions, scholars, and religious groups should come up with ideas, consensus,s and motivations toward sustainable development and eco-friendly practices by locals.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.