Pakistan’s rapid population growth is exacerbating the problem of resource scarcity on the one hand and the challenge of climate change on the other. Although Pakistan’s contribution to global warming or carbon emissions is negligible, yet Pakistan is among the countries most affected by climate change. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan ranks fifth among the countries affected by climate change. Similarly, in terms of population, Pakistan is the fifth largest country in the world. However, it is ranked 161st in terms of per capita income and 138th in terms of GDP volume. Similarly, its growth rate in terms of population growth is about two percent, which means the growth rate in terms of population growth is zero.

From these figures, one can estimate the seriousness of the population growth problem facing Pakistan. This situation not only makes efforts to maintain a balance between population and resources futile, but the challenge of climate change is making it more dangerous. Due to the lack of resources, the risks of being affected by natural disasters increase for marginalized sections, while the government has to allocate more resources for their rehabilitation, which increases the non-productive use of national resources. According to the Global Climate Database, the average temperature in Pakistan increased by 0.9 degrees Celsius between 1980 and 2021, while the Global Climate Risk Index ranked Pakistan as the 27th least prepared country in the world to deal with the effects of climate change. It should be noted that from 1998 to 2018, more than 10,000 deaths have occurred due to climate change in Pakistan, resulting in an economic loss equal to four billion dollars. Similarly, due to the flood of 2022, Pakistan faced a loss of more than 30 billion dollars.

According to research by international organizations working for rehabilitation in areas affected by natural disasters, there is a fear that eighty to ninety million people in Pakistan will fall below the poverty line due to the increase in population and climate change.

With the current average annual growth rate, Pakistan needs 104 million jobs and 15.5 million houses. On the other hand, climate change, as a result of rising temperatures, is disrupting rainfall patterns, melting glaciers, increasing the intensity of floods, and raising the likelihood of droughts and hurricanes, leading to economic decline. Environmentalists have predicted that the trend of intensity in the summer and winter seasons is likely to continue until 2027. Due to the tremendous increase in population and climatic changes, Pakistan has become a wheat-importing country instead of exporting wheat in a short period of five years. Similarly, the increase in population also affects the distribution of resources. According to the Population Council of Pakistan, with the current population size and growth rate, the country needs at least 57,000 more primary schools by 2040.

More alarming is that two and a half million children in the country are already deprived of education, leading to estimates that it will take another fifty years to achieve the goal of making it possible for 100% of children to have access to primary education in Pakistan.

Every additional person adds to carbon emissions, while risks of malnutrition are increasing due to population growth. For this reason, Pakistan is among the countries most affected by global warming. Apart from this, the productivity of crops is also affected due to the increase in temperature. Agricultural scientists have long suggested the need to promote the use of traditional grains like millet, barley, and maize to reduce the pressure on wheat production. Additionally, the increase in population is proving to be a major reason for the reduction of forest or agricultural areas. According to official data, the number of trees has decreased significantly by one percent during the last two decades. Thus, Pakistan’s cultivable land has decreased by three percent between 2017 and 2020 to meet the housing needs of the growing population.

The tremendous increase in urban population is also a major reason for the increase in temperature. For example, air conditioner use is one of the main sources of dry heat generation, increasing by five percent in urban areas and more than three percent in rural areas over the past fifteen years. Yet, the climate change discourse in Pakistan is mainly focused on strategies to reduce carbon emissions, while the relationship between population growth and climate change is not given much importance. Confronting the climate change challenge facing Pakistan requires reducing the rampant rate of population growth as its main focus. This will not only help to balance population and resources but also ensure the survival and prosperity of future generations.